Atrial Fibrillation Essay

Early doctors were researching arrhythmia in heart beat as a result of unknown abnormal neuro-cardio mechanisms of the heart, one of theories was that SA and AV nodes were interfering with each other’s bio-electrical impulses another theory was that the right side of the septum was hypersensitive to electrical impulse, all were more else on the right track because we know now that SVT is a result of a faulty electrical connections of the heart.

This case study discusses the management of a 68 year old male who presented with chest palpitations secondary to rapid atrial fibrillation. Atrial fibrillation is a common cardiac arrhythmia with serious complications if not treated correctly. This essay will discuss the initial clinical presentation of the patient and examine the management and outcome of the interventions applied. The significance of atrial fibrillation including its pathophysiology and aetiology will also be discussed.

Lack of enough trained staff in conscious sedation available at the time of the procedure

Most physicians and people who acquired the problem usually know it as A-FIB, a shorter term for atrial fibrillation. Atrial fibrillation deals with the cardiovascular system, in particular, the heart in the body. It is defined as, “the electrical signals that control this system are off-kilter. Instead of working together the atria do their own thing, causing fast fluttering heartbeat, also known as arrhythmia” (WEBMD). In a normal pumping blood of the heart the atria would squeeze first, followed by the ventricles of the heart. A-fib can be a serious issue if not treated, due to the inadequate pumping of the blood, causing a higher chance of heart failure. It is also a higher chance in getting a stroke, because improper flow of the blood can cause clots in the

This Anaesthetic case study would describes and discussed the scenario of a patient through the anaesthetic role of their surgical procedure. It will include and discuss the anaesthetic safety procedures equipment and drug interventions used to ensure this particular patients maximum safety and comfort before and during the procedure. The case study will include pre and peri-operative assessment in order to describe the involvement contribution of various specialties in the holistic care of the critical care patient. This assignment will focus only on the anaesthetics side of the procedure but will also highlight the importance of the triad of anaesthesia and discuss the administration, maintenance and reversal of

On arrival at the ED, the physician auscultates muffled heart tones, no breath sounds on the right, and faint sounds on the left. A.W. is

Patients can become hypertensive during induction, positioning, or tumor resection (12). Chronic catecholamine excess causes volume contraction and patients can become severely hypotensive, as in this case, if adequate volume resuscitation is not performed (12). It is prudent to evaluate for adverse events following hypertensive and hypotensive episodes. Serial neurological evaluations, CT brain, electrocardiograms, or serial cardiac enzymes may be warranted. Complications of surgery are primarily due to severe preoperative hypertension, high secretion tumors, or repeat intervention for recurrence (13). In one study, adverse perioperative events occurred in 32 percent of cases (14). The most common adverse event was sustained hypertension in 25 percent of the patients. There were no perioperative deaths, myocardial infarctions, or cerebrovascular events. Despite premedication of most patients with phenoxybenzamine and a beta-blocker, varying degrees of intraoperative hemodynamic lability occurred

The patient had a medical history of hypertension, hyperlipidemia, coronary artery disease, myocardial infarction in 2010, COPD, pulmonary embolism, prostate cancer, gastro esophageal reflux disease, and small bowel adhesions. The patient had an echocardiogram six months ago with an ejection fraction of 45%. Individuals with “an EF of 25% to 50% have an intermediate risk for the development of postoperative low cardiac output

Atril fibrillation, also known as Afib, causes problems with the heart's electrical impulse system resulting in an Afib irregular heartbeat. The most common type of heartbeat problem, Afib affects 2.2 million people in the United States.

What is atrial fibrillation? Atrial fibrillation, also known as afib, is an irregular heartbeat that produces disorganized electrical signals within the heart. This results in quivering of the atria, or top chambers of the heart which allows blood to pool. Stagnant blood in the atria increases the risk of developing a blood clot.1 The blood clot can enter the bloodstream and travel to the brain resulting in a stroke. Atrial fibrillation is associated with a 5 times increased risk for stroke, and approximately 15-20 percent of people who experience a stroke have atrial fibrillation.2 Symptoms of atrial fibrillation are heart palpitations, shortness of breath, weakness, chest pain, dizziness, nausea, and fatigue.1(p6) The incidence of afib increases

If this were to happen over a long period of time it can lead to an overall decreased cardiac output. Aside from the decreased cardiac output, a potential for blood clots is now present since there is pooling in the atria chambers (Ignatavicius & Workman, 2013). Stress, surgery, lung disease, and hypertension, are just a few concerns that can lead to atrial fibrillation (Cleveland Clinic, 2014) Atrial Fibrillation is divided into three categories: Paroxysmal, which is where heart beat becomes irregular all of a sudden and then corrects itself quickly; Persistent, where the irregular heart rate occurs for more than a week, and either clears up on its own or with treatment; and Permanent, which is where a normal heart rhythm cannot be reestablished with treatment (Cleveland Clinic, 2014). Symptoms of atrial fibrillation can vary depending on the person, and the severity of the dysrhythmia. Because decreased cardiac output over a period of time is something to worry about, it is important to assess the patient for fatigue, weakness, shortness of breath, dizziness, anxiety, syncope, palpitations, chest pain, and hypotension. Some patients are even asymptomatic (Ignatavicius & Workman, 2013).

Today millions of Americans live or have lived with Atrial fibrillation. The main concern with this health issue is that many people who lived with it sometimes are not aware of it. Atrial fibrillation is defined by Mayo Clinic (2012) as “an irregular and often rapid heart rate that commonly causes poor blood flow to the body”. It occurs when the four chambers of the heart have a disrupted rhythm. The abnormal functionality of health may lead to a stroke because of the possible blood clot that will be formed. The Atrial fibrillation or Afib put the body in a situation without oxygen and nutrients because the body is not well supplied by a heart that is became weak. In general, only few people will feel change in their heartbeat. They may verbalize

perioperative hypotension is a common problem, incidence is largely unknown. There are evidences suggesting that incidence of myocardial adverse events in the postoperative outcome may be linked to the prolonged episodes of perioperative hypotension. There are few comprehensive resources available in the literature regarding diagnosis and management of these common clinical outcomes, especially in non-cardiac surgery.[1] Perioperative myocardial ischemia is associated with significant morbidity and mortality, 50% of postoperative deaths are due to cardiac complications, the ischema is the major problem amongst.[1] It is an emergency crisis which poses a unique challenge for the anaesthetist in its management. We report a case of Intraoperative myocardial ischemia in an elderly patient with multiple comorbidities who underwent orthopaedic hip surgery . Intraoperative myocardial ischemia was diagnosed on time and was managed successfully.

Without early intervention on average 360,000 people out of the hospital succumb to cardiac arrest. “ Cardiac arrest and sudden death account for 60 percent of all deaths from coronary artery disease”,(Bledsoe, Porter, & Cherry, 2011,2007,2004, p. 1229)There are several causes of sudden cardiac arrest. Most are caused by ventricular fibrillation. “During ventricular fibrillation, the ventricles do not beat normally. Instead they quiver rapidly and irregularly.” When this occurs, the heart pumps very little and blood does not get circulated throughout the body. “ Most of the cases found with sudden cardiac death are related to undetected cardiovascular disease.("Sudden Cardiac Death," 2015, para. 2)Sudden cardiac arrest are immediate and drastic that includes sudden collapse, no pulse, not breathing, and loss of consciousness. “Four rhythms produce pulseless cardiac arrest: ventricular fibrillation, rapid ventricular tachycardia, pulseless electrical activity and asystole.”("Circulation ," 2005, p. IV-58)Other signs and symptoms that could occur prior to sudden cardiac arrest, include fatigue,

The heart is one of the most important organs in an organism’s body, no matter if they are aquatic, amphibian, or a mammal. This super organ works automatically, able to pump massive amounts of oxygen rich blood through the body by means of electrical impulses and the opening and closing of valves within its many layers. It is what keeps us and every other creature on this earth alive; so it is only natural for one to fear when there might be a problem with one’s heart. A cardiac arrhythmia can happen to anyone, no matter the age, race, or gender, and as such, doctors and scientist have spent years trying to better understand the heart and the way it functions so that they can try to prevent these problems and save millions of lives.