This procedure has a high success rate, but A-fib may recur. It creates scar tissue in specific areas of the heart to stop electrical impulses from misfiring. The maze procedure involves open heart surgery. The pacemaker will help the heart continue beating at a steady rate.

This can lead to a slow rhythm, known as bradycardia. The person will need a pacemaker because the procedure has cut off communication between the upper and lower chambers. The doctor will implant a pacemaker and the person will continue using blood thinners. When the catheter reaches the upper chambers of the heart, radiofrequency energy destroys the small area of tissue that connects the upper and lower chambers. Atrioventricular (AV) node ablationĪs with pulmonary vein ablation, a doctor inserts a catheter into an artery in the groin and threads it through the artery to the heart. If the surgery is successful, it cures the arrhythmia without the need for further medication to manage the heart’s rate or rhythm. In pulmonary vein ablation, when the catheter reaches the heart, the tip will either freeze or heat areas of the heart that are misfiring to kill the tissue and restore the heart’s regular rhythm. Invasive proceduresĪ doctor may recommend invasive procedures for A-fib with RVR if other options are not effective.Ĭatheter ablation is when a doctor inserts a long tube through the groin to access the blood vessels in the heart. This usually happens in a hospital, although a doctor may prescribe pills for a person to use when they notice signs of A-fib. In chemical or pharmacological cardioversion, a person takes antiarrhythmic drugs by mouth or intravenously. In electrical cardioversion, a doctor will deliver a brief electrical shock to momentarily stop the heart, which shocks it into resetting to a normal rhythm. In the hospital, a doctor may use a technique known as cardioversion. Which medications can treat A-fib? Cardioversion blood-thinning drugs to reduce the risk of blood clots.calcium channel blockers, such as diltiazem (Cardizem), which can help control the heart rate.beta-blockers, such as metoprolol (Lopressor) to manage the heart rate.antiarrhythmic drugs, such as amiodarone, that control the heart’s rhythm and prevent future episodes of A-fib.

Options for medicinal management for A-fib with RVR include: In rhythm control, doctors use medications or procedures to try to keep the heart in a normal rhythm. Treatment approaches can include a rate control approach or a rhythm control approach.Ī rate control approach aims to manage the heart rate, although the person may either stay in A-fib or go in and out of A-fib.

invasive procedures, such as catheter ablation.

Possible treatments for A-fib with RVR include: the use of certain medications, such as epinephrine, norepinephrine, and dopamine.Sometimes, RVR happens for no specific reason, but factors that may trigger it include: For people with A-fib, the target is usually below this level. However, some researchers use 110 bpm as the upper limit. RVR can develop in people with A-fib, disrupting the regular supply of blood to the body’s organs.Ī doctor may diagnose an RVR from a rapid and irregular ventricular rate when a person’s heart rate is greater than 100 beats per minute (bpm). In A-fib with RVR, the lower chambers beat too quickly and irregularly, resulting in a rapid heart rate. In people with A-fib, the upper chambers beat quickly and erratically, out of sync with the lower chambers. In a healthy heart, the heart’s chambers beat regularly and rhythmically.Ī-fib results from faulty electrical signals in the upper chambers of the heart. In the United States, it affects over 2.7 million people, according to the American Heart Association. Share on Pinterest Jackyenjoyphotography/Getty ImagesĪ-fib is the most common rhythm disorder of the heart.

A flutter with rvr treatment