| Atrial Fibrillation |
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| Atrial fibrillation (AF) refers to very fast, uncontrolled heart rhythm caused when the upper chambers (or atria) of the heart quiver instead of beating. During AF, the upper chambers of the heart beat between 350 and 600 times per minute (normal heart rhythm is between 60 and 80 beats per minute). The symptoms include an uncomfortable "flutter" in the chest or even the feeling that the heart wants to jump out of the chest. Patients may also feel lightheaded, have shortness of breath, or suffer from heart failure. |
| Risk Factors of Atrial Fibrillation |
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| As a result of this irregular pumping of the heart, blood is not completely emptied and may clot. In about 1 of 20 patients, clotted blood can dislodge and result in a stroke. The American Heart Association estimates that over 70,000 strokes each year in the United States are due to AF and that patients (especially older people) with AF are 5 times more likely to have a stroke than the general population. Blood thinners such as aspirin or warfarin (Coumadin) are usually prescribed to help prevent clots from forming and leading to a stroke. |
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| What causes atrial fibrillation? |
| The human heart contains an internal pacemaker that causes the muscle to contract in a regular fashion. In AF, the upper part of the heart receives extra electrical signals that cause these chambers to quiver and make the whole heart beat faster than normal. Untreated AF can also lead to more serious heart rhythm problems and may weaken the heart muscle. |
| Treatment |
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| Current treatment options for AF include blood thinners, rhythm-control medications, pacemakers and surgery. In standard surgery for AF, known as the "Maze" procedure, the breastbone is opened and the patient is placed on the heart-lung machine. The heart is chilled and arrested. The heart is then "divided" by a number of incisions into isolated segments and barriers (or "maze") that permanently block the travel routes of the abnormal electrical impulses. |
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| The "Wolf mini-MAZE" technique |
| Our new minimally invasive procedure to cure AF without making a conventional chest incision was developed with the help of Atricure in West Chester, Ohio. We performed the first two cases in the world using this technique at Cincinnati's University Hospital in August 2003. Patients who have suffered from long-standing AF undergo a less invasive surgery and recover faster. In addition, the heart does not need to be stopped and hooked to a heart-lung machine, greatly reducing the risk of surgery. Complications of open heart surgery such as bleeding, wound infection, stroke and pneumonia are also avoided or greatly reduced. |
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