Atrial Fibrillation

Duke offers comprehensive services for patients who have irregular heart rhythm conditions such as atrial fibrillation. Atrial fibrillation is the most common form of heart arrhythmia in the United States, affecting nearly three million Americans.

Atrial fibrillation (sometimes referred to as AFib or AF) occurs when the upper chambers of the heart (the atria) beat fast and irregularly. Atrial fibrillation isn’t typically life threatening, but it is associated with an increased risk of stroke or other complications.

The Duke Atrial Fibrillation Center of Excellence provides comprehensive care to patients with atrial fibrillation. Treatment options range from standard medications to complex catheter-based or surgical procedures for cure.

We offer state-of-the-art technologies to our patients -- such as advanced computer-based catheter mapping and robotic navigation systems to guide catheter ablation, and advanced systems for catheter-based or surgical ablation for atrial fibrillation.

Each year thousands of patients undergo treatment at Duke University Medical Center to control atrial fibrillation. Duke physicians report some of the lowest complication rates for patients who undergo catheter ablation compared with many other centers in North Carolina and around the world.

The vast experience of our staff, garnered from years of focus treating this important medical condition, assures that patients’ individual needs will be recognized and that each patient will receive a comprehensive and customized therapy plan. All therapy options -- including new and investigational therapies -- are available to choose from.

Symptoms of Atrial Fibrillation

Some people with AF have no symptoms at all -- they may not even be aware of the condition unless their doctor discovers it during a routine exam, during evaluation for a stroke, due to a decrease in heart function, or some other medical condition.

Others experience symptoms that come and go when the atrial fibrillation itself comes and goes. Lastly, some people have symptoms all the time when the atrial fibrillation arrhythmia is present all the time. These individuals often complain of generalized fatigue, breathlessness, or the inability to engage in vigorous activity.

Those who are symptomatic can experience any of the following:

  • Heart palpitations that feel like the heart is racing, thumping, beating irregularly, beating too fast, or skipping beats
  • Shortness of breath that results from even minor activities like walking up a flight of stairs
  • Fatigue, exhaustion, and no energy to maintain a normal level of activity during the day or to engage in vigorous activities like sports
  • Dizziness or light-headedness caused by a change in blood pressure when atrial fibrillation causes the heart to pump blood less efficiently
  • Chest pain as a result of the heart’s abnormal pumping rhythm. Evaluation is often required to distinguish chest pain caused by AF from chest pain caused by insufficient blood flow to the heart or a heart attack
  • Syncope (temporary loss of consciousness or fainting) caused by decreased blood flow to the brain during AF when the heart rate is too fast

Tests for Atrial Fibrillation

Atrial fibrillation can be diagnosed either by documenting the abnormal heart rhythm with an ECG when symptoms are present, or by recording AF with an ECG taken for another reason. People with or without symptoms can have AF diagnosed using any of the recording methods listed below.

  • Electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG)
  • Holter monitor
  • Ambulatory ECG monitors like event recorders or loop recorders
  • Heart rhythm monitoring functions of pacemakers or implantable cardioverter-defibrillators
  • Echocardiogram (with ECG recording)

Treatment Options for Atrial Fibrillation

Comprehensive treatment of atrial fibrillation is available at the Duke Atrial Fibrillation Center including:

  • Catheter ablation to treat atrial fibrillation as well as catheter ablation of other abnormal heart rhythms associated with atrial fibrillation such as atrial flutter
  • Use of a permanent pacemaker as an adjunct to medical therapy when the heart rhythm is too slow, or in combination with AV node ablation when the heart rhythm is too slow, or when fast heart rates cannot be controlled using medicines or curative ablation
  • Cardioversion procedures to restore normal rhythm when required
  • Therapy with anti-arrhythmic drugs to reduce the amount of AF that occurs
  • Ongoing evaluation to make sure that the chosen therapy remains effective, and that there are no detrimental side effects of the treatment regimen

Learn more about treatment options for atrial fibrillation.

Physicians

Physicians offering this service include:

Locations

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About This Page

Published: Apr. 30, 2007
Updated: Sept. 23, 2008
URL: http://www.dukehealth.org/Services/HeartRhythm/Programs/AtrialFibrillation