Atrial Fibrillation Essay

Atrial fibrillation can then be further broken down based on the frequency of the episodes into five types paroxysmal, persistent, long-standing persistent, permanent, and nonvalvular. Paroxysmal atrial fibrillation stops spontaneously or via intervention within seven days of onset. Persistent atrial fibrillation is continuous irregular rhythm lasting more than seven days. Long-standing atrial fibrillation is continuous irregular rhythm lasting more than twelve months. Permanent atrial fibrillation cannot be controlled through intervention and cannot self regulate. Further attempts to restore normal sinus rhythm will be stopped and therapeutic treatment will be initiated. Nonvalvular atrial fibrillation means it is not caused by a heart valve problem. It occurs when there is no mitral stenosis or artificial heart valve present (Boyle,

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.

Cardiac dysrhythmias come in different degrees of severity. There are heart conditions that you are able to live with and manage on a daily basis and those that require immediate attention. Atrial Fibrillation is one of the more frequently seen types of dysrhythmias (NIH, 2011). The best way to diagnosis a heart condition is by reading a cardiac strip (Ignatavicius &Workman, 2013). Cardiac strips play an chief part in the nursing world allowing the nurse and other trained medical professionals to interpret what the heart is doing. In a normal strip, one can clearly identify a P wave before every QRS complex, which is then followed by a T wave; in Atrial Fibrillation, the Sinoatrial node fires irregularly causing there to be no clear P

Atrial Fibrillation (AFib) is the most common heart rhythm disorder in the US. More than three million people suffer from AFIb. Each year, approximately one hundred and twenty thousand Americans experience an ischemic stroke due to AFib. That accounts for more than 25% of all incidents of stroke from all causes. The incidence of stroke in people with AFib is five times higher than in those who do not have the ailment.

Gibbons also explains that an ischemic stroke also consist of transient ischemic attacks (TIA). A TIA is known as a “mini stroke” that is only a brief period of symptoms similar to those of an ischemic stroke but only lasting a couple hours. TIAs are caused by temporary decreases in the blood supply. TIAs can also be caused by a clot or debris blocking blood flow to part of the brain. These blockages are temporary thus leaving no lasting symptoms. TIAs usually happen before an actual stroke happens. According to many doctors these attacks serve as a warning and also an opportunity of possibly lowering risks of actually have a stroke.

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

The majority, 85%, of strokes cause ischemia or lack of oxygen to a body part. In this type of stroke, the arteries to the brain become blocked and decrease the brain’s consumption of oxygen and nutrients. Ischemic attacks can then be broken down further into thrombotic attacks and embolic strokes. Thrombotic strokes occur when residue, such as plaque, builds up in an artery that supplies the brain causing a clot while an embolic stroke occurs when the blood clot is formed elsewhere else in the body, most often in the heart, and moves towards the smaller arteries of the brain. The other form of a cerebrovascular accident is called a hemorrhagic stroke; this happens when there is a weak blood vessel in the brain that ruptures or leaks. These types of strokes are much less common in our population today and can be classified further as to where the ruptures take place, for instance an intercerebral or subarachnoid hemorrhage. An intercerebral hemorrhage happens when a blood vessel busts and seeps into the neighboring brain tissue. When a blood vessel of the brain ruptures in the space between the skull and the brain it is called subarachnoid hemorrhage. This type of hemorrhage is associated with vasospasms and causes severe headaches and damage to brain tissues due to limited blood flow (Stroke,

There no direct cause as why to atrial fibrillation occur but, there is many other disease and disorders that Atrial Fibrillation is associated with. For example Atrial Fibrillation is closely associated with heart attack due to the fact that a during a heart attack the coronary artery is unable to supply oxygen to the heart which then causes the muscles in the heart to starve for oxygen. This can then lead to the death of some muscle tissue in the heart which then can lead to AFib. Hypertension also play a role in AFib, Hypertension (high blood pressure) is a constant high pressure of blood against the walls of the artery (arteries are the blood vessel that carry blood from the heart to our body parts) (A blood vessel is a tube which carries

Atrial fibrillation is the most commonly encountered arrhythmia (abnormal heart rhythm) in the United States, diagnosed in approximately 1% of the population or 2.5 million people (Nottingham, 2010). Atrial fibrillation has always been of interest during this author’s healthcare career. It is always out there, insidiously hiding, causes a multitude of symptoms and problems. This author remembers puzzling over the presentation of atrial fibrillation and it’s management. Identification is always the first challenge. Banner and Lauck (2013) cite Falk (2001) acknowledging the wide presentation of symptoms from asymptomatic to life threatening. Patient specific options can be confusing and challenging to navigate. Treatment algorithms include pharmacology, electrophysiological interventions, and surgery (Berry, Padgett, & Holton, 2015). This author believes, given the prevalence and consequences of mismanagement, the study of relevant evidence based practice in the treatment of atrial fibrillation is a worthy concentration. For many patients, nurses are the first point of contact in the healthcare system. This demands nursing leadership in the areas of identification, treatment and education for atrial fibrillation.

If an artery within the brain or one that goes to the brain is blocked for a short time, the blood flow to that area of the brain slows down or stops. (It basically is ischemic stroke but reversible i.e. a self resolving ischemic stroke, due to the clot busting properties of the body) This can cause a transient ischemic attack (TIA), sometimes called a mini-stroke.

Stroke is a life-threatening medical condition that occurs when the blood supply to part of brain cuts off. It is also referred to as a Cerebral Vascular Accident (CVA). There are two types of stroke ischaemic where the blood supplies stopped due to a blood clot in a blood vessel and haemorrhagic where a weakened blood vessel supplying the brain bursts. Transient Ischaemic Attack (TIA) is the condition where the blood supply of the brain is temporarily interrupted causing a “mini-stroke” often last between 30 minutes and several hours. TIAs are often a warning sign of having a full stroke in the near future (Stroke Association 2014). According to Nation Stroke Organisation UK (2015) statics stroke occurs about 152,000 times a year in the UK

According to the New York Times, “Ischemic stroke accounts for about 75% of all strokes and occurs when a blood clot, or thrombus, forms that blocks blood flow to part of the brain” (The New York Times, 2015). If a blood clot forms somewhere in the body and breaks off to become free-floating, it is called an embolus (The New York Times, 2015). This wandering clot may be carried through the bloodstream to the brain where it can cause ischemic stroke. According to Community Connect to Research, a hemorrhagic stroke occurs when a blood vessel on the brain's surface ruptures and fills the space between the brain and skull with blood or when a defective artery in the brain bursts and fills the surrounding tissue with blood. Both result in a lack of blood flow to the brain and a buildup of blood that puts too much pressure on the brain (Community Connect to Research,

An dysrhythmia of the heart is an irregular heartbeat rhythm. Ventricular tachycardia is an dysrhythmia in which the lower chambers of the heart, the ventricles, beat unusually fast.

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.

A stroke caused by a blocked artery by a blood clot or bursting of a blood vessel because of uncontrolled high blood pressure. There are main three types of the stroke. An ischemic stroke occurs when a blood clot blocks one of the arteries which supply blood to brain. A clot may be caused by fatty deposits (plaque) that build up in arteries and cause reduced blood flow (atherosclerosis) or other artery conditions. (mayo clinic). About 89%, strokes are ischemic strokes. Ischemic stroke includes thrombotic stroke. A thrombotic stroke occurs when a thrombus stuck in one of the arteries that supply blood to the brain. A clot build-up of fatty deposits in arteries. Another type of stroke is called the hemorrhagic stroke. This stroke occurs when a blood vessel leaks or ruptures in the brain. A bold vessel leaks or ruptures from many conditions like uncontrolled high blood pressure or overtreatment with anticoagulants and the weak spot in blood vessel walls. (mayo). Some people experience a mini-stroke it is known as a transient ischemic attack (TIA). A temporary decrease or clot stuck in a vessel in our brain causes TIA. It happens less than five minutes. This stroke does not have any symptom, because the blockage is