Your AFib questions answered by John Hummel, MD

Atrial fibrillation, commonly referred to as AFib, is a rapid, irregular heartbeat originating from the upper chambers of the heart called the atria. When not treated, it can cause blood clots, stroke and heart failure. Atrial fibrillation is the most common type of irregular heart rhythm (arrhythmia), affecting six million Americans.

Sometimes the cause is the result of damage to the heart’s electrical system by a coronary event like a heart attack or from conditions like coronary artery disease or high blood pressure. In other situations, the cause of atrial fibrillation is unknown.

There are a number of factors that can trigger atrial fibrillation, including high blood pressure, diabetes, sleep apnea, heart valve disease, severe lung disease and excessive alcohol intake.

Some people don’t notice any symptoms. Other may feel a fast, fluttering heart rate and experience chest pain, dizziness, fatigue, lightheadedness and shortness of breath.

Expert Guide to Heart Health: Answers to more of your heart health questions

Paroxysmal atrial fibrillation describes an occasional episode that stops on its own within seven days without any treatment. Many cases are clinically stable, but more serious cases can lead to heart failure or stroke.

Atrial fibrillation is treated with drugs (blood thinner and beta blockers), an electrical shock procedure called cardioversion and a minimally invasive surgery called ablation. Ablation uses radiofrequency energy to create a small scar on an area of heart tissue. With this technology, clinicians can interrupt the electrical signals that cause irregular heartbeats.

These are small sites outside of the pulmonary veins (where atrial fibrillation often originates) where, using advanced camera technology at Ohio State, we can observe the abnormal electrical activity that sustains atrial fibrillation. Re-entrant drivers often look like little tornados of electric activity.

Using our advanced imaging system to study electrical activity in the heart, we have access to more information than ever before about the heart’s structure and electrical function. Most importantly, we have information about the re-entrant drivers that sustain atrial fibrillation. By discovering locations of re-entrant drivers, we’re able to better identify targets for ablation. As a result, the patients we treat using this technology have treatment success rates of 75-78% a year and a half after their ablations, compared to the national average of 40-60%. 

Read more about how John Hummel, MD, is advancing atrial fibrillation treatments