Video on Irregular heartbeats
I found a DVD for class, but I ran out of time to show this part. So I've uploaded it for you to watch. It's a 7-minute clip on atrial fibrillation and the surgical treatment that you might find interesting. After you watch, give us your comments on the procedure, any similar experience you or a family member may have had, and find more information on the internet on treatments for irregular heartbeats.
15 comments:
This procedure seemed very promising. The use of radioactive energy and heat to burn the defected heart cells does seem like a risky procedure and was even quoted as "burning the heart," however, it has proven to be successful for patients with atrial fibrillation. At first, I did think it was a bit risky, yet, when the doctor explained that the heart simply brushes off this burning of cells, I was relieved.
Fortunately, nobody I know of has been through this procedure or a similar procedure.
Another treatment for irregular heartbeats is something called the maze procedure. The name of this procedure was originated on the concept of a puzzle. First, the heart is divived by incisions that create a series of barriers. These barriers help to block the entrance of unwanted abnormal electrical impulses. The incisions are created with a microwave energy source, creating barriers and several blind alleys that allow for only one major route for an electrical impulse to travel from the top to the bottom of the heart. The surgery is currently always performed with another open-heart procedure.
To read more on different treatments, check out this website: http://www.elcaminohospital.org/body.cfm?id=856
Atrial fibrillation is the most common cause of arrhythmia, affecting 2.5 million Americans. Symptoms include chest pains, feeling light-headed or dizzy, shortness of breath, fatigue, and so forth which can become a major disruption to one’s regular lifestyle. Some can be life-threatening and requires treatment. Though I’ve never had a personal experience, I’ve known of people that live with such abnormalities. It never occurred to me that as a result of arrhythmia, their lives become intertwined with constant medications and doctor appointments. The ablation procedure is definitely going to be revolutionary as it brings us one step closer to normalizing the health of people across the country.
The procedure called ablation appeared to be too good to be true. The cause of the irregular heartbeat is due to a pack of renegade cells that don’t follow the natural flow of the messages sent by the SA node (as we have learned in class) and instead seemingly try to start their own rhythm and try to control the heartbeat themselves. In Susan’s heart, this takes place in her left atrium, causing her heart to have the potential to beat over 150 beats per minute. In ablation, doctors use catheters that go through the veins and into her heart. It then finds the renegade cells and uses high frequency radio waves to burn them. And in most cases, this will often do the trick in restoring one’s regular heartbeat.
Another treatment is by using implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICD) which is a small device implanted into the heart much like pacemakers. It has the ability to detect the rhythm of the patient’s heart and in the event of a dangerous arrhythmia, can deliver electric energy to the heart muscle, instantly saving the patient in his/her own home. A wire or lead is passed through a large vein located beneath the collarbone and intravenously into the right side of the heart. This wire records the regular heartbeats and detects the arrhythmias. This is then connected to a device that’s buried underneath the skin behind the collarbone and delivers the electric current the heart needs to return to normal, in the event that it detects any abnormalities and thus saving the life of its owner.
http://www.arrhythmia.org/current_treatments.html
This treatment that uses radio waves to burn the cells around the troubled area seems to work well and help a great number of people. When the doctor said that they burn very small sections of hear tissue, I was thinking it was on the microscopic scale but then he said they are the size of pencil erasers. I would still consider that pretty large but I suppose in the grand scheme they really aren't that large.
No one in my family has had to undergo this type of treatment.
As far as other treatments go, There is a drug treatment that can help control the irregular heart beats. These drugs "are called anti-arrhythmics. Examples include digoxin and flecainide (eg Tambocor). These drugs will slow down a fast heartbeat or help it return to normal." More information about different treatments can be found here:
http://hcd2.bupa.co.uk/fact_sheets/html/arrhythmia.html
This video was really interesting in showing how atrial fibrillation affects regular people in their daily lives. Susan's heart suffered from a rhythm disorder, in which a circuit in her heart caused it to beat in addition to the regular beats. The procedure of ablation shown in the video demonstrated just how unique and complex the heart is. Ablation called from the burning of renegade cells that do not follow the regular messages produced in the heart. This is a great example that shows the positive impact that new technology and advancements produces in the medical field.
I do not personally know anyone who has a problem with heart arrhythmia.
Besides ablation, certain drugs can be used to help with atrial fibrillation. According to the American Heart Association, "drugs such as digoxin, beta blockers (atenolol, metoprolol, propranolol), amiodarone, disopyramide, calcium antagonists (verapamil, diltiazam), sotalol, flecainide, procainamide, quinidine, and propafenone" can help in slowing down the rapid heart beating that comes with AF. Besides slowing the heartbeat, some drugs can also be useful in restoring the beat to the normal pace.
http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4451
In the video, different specialists discussed a new way to help cure a heart that beats to fast due to "renegade cells" that fire signals improperly. It works by using radio waves to burn areas as bid as a pencil eraser and kill those abnormal cells. The only concern i have is when the video made claims that this procedure was "revolutionary" and would "completely cure" the problem. When I hear statements like these, it makes me rather weary to trust such an operation when the adverse effects are not also discussed.
Only my grandfather has had heart problems because of his many years of alcohol and cigarettes. His problems increased so significantly that he had a pacemaker replace his actual heart.
Many times, heart arrhythmias are treated by using drugs known as beta-blockers that control heart rate. Also, there is another process known as anticoagulant therapy that uses drugs to help reduce blood clots. This information can be further researched at
http://www.medicinenet.com/arrhythmia_irregular_heartbeat/page3.htm#treated
The procedure shown in this video seems very revolutionary to me. It's so amazing to see what new technology can do in health and medicine. By doing a seemingly not so complicated procedure, doctors were able to fix Susan's irregular heartbeat and she was able to continue her everyday life normally. Although doctors say they are burning the overactive cells, we learn that the procedure is not as bad as it sounds. The cells that are burned are so small that the heart just shrugs it off. I liked how they showed what a normal heartbeat looks like and how it works, and what a heart with atrial fibrilation looks like. The animation made it easy to follow along the path of a heartbeat.
No one I know has had this procedure or anything similar to it.
There were two case studies done that treated people with irregular heartbeats with a special diet, colonic irrigations, stress management, meditation, massage, osteopathic treatments, and radial appliance treatments. All these treatments were shown to be successful. More information on the study can be found at
http://chp.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/3/3/185
It is amazing how precise technology has gotten over the past few years. 2.5 million Americans have atrial fibrillation so it is important that we find a promising procedure to cure it. The youtube video is quite interesting especially when they explain the new procedure which finds kills the group of cells causing it. I do not know anyone with atrial fibrillation or anyone who has gone through this procedure but ablation sounds like a very intense procedure. It is wonderful how much of a positive impact that this treatment has had on the woman in the video. She can finally go about her life normally with vigorous workouts without having to worry about it.
Ventricular tachycardia is a dangerous quickening of the heartbeat. Researchers have found that fish oil will protect the heart which will subdue arrhythmia. For more information, click on this link:
http://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/news/20040430/fish-oil-irregular-heartbeats
After watching this video, I was most intrigued and surprised by the method used to treat atrial fibrillation. Ablation, the act of burning these cells, and not just on a microscopic level but rather on the scale of a pencil eraser, seems as though it would produce the opposite effect of recovery, especially using high frequency radio waves. I was also surprised by the number of people who have atrial fibrillation, an estimated total of 2.5 million. It truly is revolutionary and greatly beneficial that this technique was developed considering the large portion of individuals who constitute the 2.5 million. I was wondering what exactly caused the irregular rhythm over 100 bpm from the SA node, and I was glad to find out that it can be due to a group of renegade cells that are firing randomly, not the entire SA node. Now, I have a deeper understanding. It was also interesting how they use the catheter to run it up through the patient’s veins, and then use a remote control to probe the cells. It was a nice comparison to the technique used in balloon vulvulopasty, where a catheter is also used. I’m glad to hear that most rhythm disturbances can be fixed in one operation, and be fixed for life.
I found this website that provides various alternate treatments, from medication to surgery. The one surgery option that it provided was the open-heart maze procedure, in which the surgeon cuts multiple areas of the atria muscle. These incisions are supposed to block the electrical pathways that are off beat. Personally, the ablation method seems highly safer and more likely to be successful. Another method that is non-surgical, and that spares the side effects of medication, is to have a pacemaker placed under the skin near the collarbone. The pacemaker has a wire that attaches to the heart to detect abnormal heart rates. If the rhythm seems off, the pacemaker will send an electrical signal to the heart to bring it back to normal.
http://www.mayoclinic.org/atrial-fibrillation/treatment.html#surgery
I really found this video
on the Ablation procedure, to be interesting and proactive. Dr. John Miller practices this new procedure, which uses high frequency radio waves to burn renegade cells, on “tens of thousands of Americans” that suffer with atrial fibrillation, and I feel that is absolutely grand! It was surprising yet informative to hear that 2-2.5 million Americans suffer of atrial fibrillation through the video, and to know that new treatments are on the rise is definitely a good thing.
I cannot recall a similar experience like that of Susan’s. Although I do remember when I was younger and I was at the doctors for my little brother they found he had a heart murmur, and that is usually connected with heart defects.
Researching other treatments for irregular heartbeats I found a Medical News article about Mellanie True Hills, now a heart health expert, who suffered with atrial fibrillation and the many complications that come with it. After many blood-clots and near-strokes she underwent surgery and successfully was cured. She then founded the website StopAfib.org and is promoting the act of getting informed about atrial fibrillation, so that people who suffer with it or have relatives that do, can be knowledgeable about it and know that many treatments. According to the website, besides treatments such as electrical cardioversion, catheter ablation or surgical ablation, one has the option of managing afib through medications. Doctors can offer medications that will accomplish two goals, according to the website, which are:
“1. Control heart rate or heart rhythm through medication or electrical cardioversion” which “is a process by which the heart is shocked to convert it from an irregular rhythm back into a normal sinus rhythm.”
2. “Avoid blood clots and stroke through anticoagulation with medication such as Coumadin® or warfarin” that will thin blood.
**I’m glad this was a blog topic because it helped me educate myself on the topic and option treatments for a good hour. Kudos!
http://medical.presslib.com/cardiology/535195.htm
http://www.stopafib.org/managed.cfm
* I would like to correct my statement above, regarding the two goals. Those are not achieved just through medication, but both medication and other treatments mentioned as well.
The video was interesting in showing us how atrial fibrillation can be treated with the burning of a few cells that cause the problem. It was also a bit scary how the doctor seemed to be playing a computer game on screen, seemingly carelessly killing cells while he talks to the camera. Fortunately, I do not actually know of anyone who has been through this or any other heart related surgeries. I researched the treatment for irregular heartbeats online and found many articles regarding this type of treatment, which, as one of the doctors said in the video, is considered revolutionary. On http://intermountainhealthcare.org/xp/public/heart/procedures/rhythm.xml I also found other procedures such as the possibility of getting a pacemaker. A pacemaker would take place of what normal people have, a group of cells that send out the electric signal to start the heartbeat, and outs a machine there to do the same job. In addition, something similar to a pacemaker would be an ICD or Implantable Cardioverter/Defibrillators which is used to send a signal only when the natural heart starts doing anything irregular. These all seem like very good ways to treat irregular heartbeat, but in the case of someone who has a functioning heart with only a few cells that are going crazy, it makes sense to use the method discussed in the video.
With new treatment options emerging for treating atrial fibrillation, this one technique used to try and reorganize Susan's heartbeat seems very simple, yet effective. Essentially, Dr. John Miller is searching for the cells causing Susan's rapid heartbeats by using catheters threaded into her heart and probing it using a machine in the next room. When I first saw this video, I thought that it looked more like someone playing with a 3-D model and later on something that someone could draw on Paint, rather than fixing an actual human heart. By seeing this procedure actually succeed as well as the stress it takes away from the patient makes me applaud the hard effort and research put in by the people who discovered how to treat irregular heartbeats.
None of the family members I know about, nor myself have ever gone through this or a similar procedure.
Pulmonary vein antrum isolation is another treatment used for irregular heartbeats. If using this procedure, two catheters are inserted in the right atrium, and two catheters are inserted in the left atrium. Lesions are created outside the pulmonary veins, and when they scar, they block any impulses firing from within the pulmonary veins, which "disconnect" the pathway of the abnormal rhythm and curing atrial fibrillation.
http://www.clevelandclinic.org/heartcenter/pub/atrial_fibrillation/afib.htm#treated
I liked this video that is posted. It is interesting to know how atrial fibrillation effects our everyday lives. It was also interesting how waves are used to kill cells that are bad for your body. This will saves million of people's lives. Irregular heart beat can cause many problems in the body, so it is very important to treat irregular heart beat so it does not cause arrhythmia. Our family has a history of heart problems. Therefore I am glad that there is a lot of cure for heart dieseases.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atrial_fibrillation
The video describing the use of radioabation therapy for eradication of renegrade electrical conduction of heart cells was very interesting. The voice of the narrator was similar to the woman's voice on the TV show "Desperate Housewives".
A good summary article of arrhythmias and the various diagnostic and therapeutic procedures necessary in treating various arrhythmias can be found at: http://your-doctor.com/healthinfocenter/medical-conditions/cardiovascular/cardiac-conditions/arrhythmias/arrythmia-intro.html
I do know of one individual, an older man who developed atrial fibrillation after a bout of heavy alcohol consumption. He required digoxin therapy and was placed on warfarin (coumadin) to prevent possible embolic phenomenon. He currently is doing well and stopped drinking alcohol.
Another type of arrhythmia not commonly discussed is the one my mother has developed which causes neurocardiogenic syncope. She develops occasional fast beats and then very slow beats. There are several good articles are the subject for those interested.
Another common cause of syncope/presyncope is neurocardiogenic (vasovagal) syndrome. This condition, known by physicians as "neurally mediated hypotension", is also referred to as "the fainting reflex", "vasodepressor syncope", "vasovagal syncope", or "autonomic dysfunction". In this condition blood vessels tend to expand, which leads to pooling of blood in the lower parts of the body. As a result, less blood reaches the brain and this causes fainting. The usual stimulus for this action resides in the nerves of the heart-hence the term neurocardiogenic. A head-up tilt test can uncover the underlying cause of the fainting in this syndrome. Neurocardiogenic syncope is usually treated with medications that reduce the probability of cardiac nerves triggering the cycle that leads to lightheadedness, dizziness or fainting.
Together, arrhythmias and neurocardiogenic syndromes account for more than 75% of the cases of unexplained fainting spells-so it’s important that the initial diagnostic work-up be designed to investigate these possibilities.
Electrophysiologic radioabation therapy was been shown to be of low value in the treatment of cardiogenic syncope.
http://www.nymc.edu/fhp/centers/syncope/acute_orthostatic_intolerance_and_syncope.htm
An interesting finding regarding irregular heartbeats was the report regarding premature ventricular contractures or PVCs. It was reported recently that recovery PVCs, but not exercise PVCs, were associated with an almost doubled propensity-adjusted mortality rate. Recovery PVCs occur after reaching maximum predicted heart rate on the exercise treadmill study and during the recovery or cooling down period of the test. Dr. Frederick E. Dewey (Stanford University Medical School) and colleagues report their findings in the January 28, 2008 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/569721
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