Learn more about atrial fibrillation

What is atrial fibrillation?

A heart steadily pumps blood around your body. It pumps faster when you’re under strain and slower when you’re at rest. In the case of atrial fibrillation, or cardiac fibrillation, the heart pumps at an irregular rhythm. The irregular rhythm causes blood to flow more slowly through the heart, which can create blood clots. The clots might follow the blood through the body and clog the blood vessels. If this happens in your brain, you might have a stroke.

Types of atrial fibrillation

Atrial fibrillation is usually divided into three different types:

• Paroxysmal atrial fibrillation is when you have short attacks of atrial fibrillation that can come and go. The disturbances in heart rhythm usually do not last more than a couple of days. In some cases, symptoms can last up to a week.
• Persistent atrial fibrillation is when you have episodes lasting more than one week.
• Permanent atrial fibrillation is when you have a constant disturbance of the heart rhythm.

Symptoms of atrial fibrillation

Symptoms can be quite vague, and some people hardly feel anything. Here are some of the more common signs of atrial fibrillation:

• palpitations
• irregular pulse
• chest discomfort
• fatigue and weakness
• dizziness
• shortness of breath, even with slight exertion
• chest pain.

If you have one or more of these symptoms, or if it just feels different from what it normally does, you should contact your doctor. Remember, there are treatments available when atrial fibrillation is detected!

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How to be diagnosed with atrial fibrillation

An ECG test is often used to map the heart’s rhythm and diagnose atrial fibrillation. For extended testing lasting a day or more, a portable ECG machine might be used.

You may also get a general examination to look for other risk factors and signs of cardiovascular disease. There might be laboratory tests to check kidney function, cholesterol levels, salt balance, thyroid function, and blood counts, among other things. Sometimes an ultrasound scan of the heart is also done.

Detecting and diagnosing atrial fibrillation with flexible ECG technology

As the availability of more flexible ECG technology increases, so does the ability to detect and diagnose atrial fibrillation. Today, there are many technological devices that make it easy to examine your heart. Some are already in use in healthcare settings and some can be purchased and used by patients themselves. A major advantage of many of these devices is that they can regularly measure the heart’s activity in everyday life, even during times when the user is not in contact with healthcare professionals. Here are some examples:

• Patch ECG
  A patch ECG attaches a monitor to the skin using an adhesive patch. An advantage of many patch ECGs is that heart rhythm activity can be measured over a longer period of time, compared to a traditional long-term ECG, and continuously compared to handheld ECGs.
• Handheld ECG
  Handheld ECGs are easy to carry with you. The test only takes a few minutes. The user can choose when to check their heart, for example when they have symptoms. Some handheld ECG monitors also have the ability to send the results digitally to the healthcare provider immediately.
• Smart watches
  Many smart watches now have functions that allow you to read your heart’s activity through an ECG. Some watches can also save the measurement as a PDF file that the user can share with their doctor.