If that doesn't work, Cardioversion may be the next step.
One method of Cardioversion is to give your heart an electric shock.
In certain instances, medications or Cardioversion may not control your atrial fibrillation effectively.
Compared to anti-arrhythmic medications and electric Cardioversion, a cardiac ablation procedure will improve
symptoms more consistently[10].
Cardioversion is more likely to be considered as a possible option in certain
situations- for example:.
If a patient falls into this category,
they will only partially respond to medications or electric Cardioversion[11].
One study found that the success rate of electric Cardioversion after therapy reached over 80 percent of cases.
His treatment for afib has also included two Cardioversions, procedures that shock the heart to restore a normal rhythm.
When it has been possible to eliminate atrial fibrillation with Cardioversion, some antiarrhythmic medication is usually prescribed to prevent it from reappearing.
Many times it is not possible to perform Cardioversion because atrial fibrillation is motivated by a cardiac
pathology that we can not easily control.
Shocking the heart with an electrical current(a procedure called Cardioversion) is also an option in some people
who develop atrial fibrillation as a complication.
It is used intravenously for the treatment of ventricular arrhythmias(for acute myocardial infarction,
digoxin poisoning, Cardioversion, or cardiac catheterization)
if amiodarone is not available or contraindicated.
As mentioned above, Cardioversion is the next step in management that many of these patients
will need to endure due to the advanced nature of their symptoms.
If Cardioversion is unsuccessful
or not attempted and the episode continues for a long time(e.g., a year or more), the person's AF is then known as permanent.
Before carrying out a Cardioversion, it is necessary to ensure that there are no thrombi in the atria,
since the normal beat can detach these thrombi and cause a cerebral infarction.
In a recent study used to determine the effectiveness of Cardioversion, 244 participants were enrolled
and it was found that almost 90 percent had a return to a normal cardiac sinus rhythm.
If your afib has been going on for more than 48 hours,
you may not be a candidate for Cardioversion as your risk of having blood clots that could
lead to stroke is increased.
In patients in whom there is no underlying cause of atrial fibrillation, or there is a controllable cause such as hyperthyroidism, one can try to reverse the arrhythmia,
a procedure we call Cardioversion.