Got the Book? Now get the course!
Due to popular demand Doctor Warrick Bishop, the author of the #1 Internationally Best Selling Book, "Atrial Fibrillation Explained" has now recorded a course to help you to learn more about this disease and how to better manage it.
This Course is For You, if You:
What's in the Course?
Lesson Overview:
This is an overview of what you'll be learning with the Atrial Fibrillation Course:
An Overview
I'd like to welcome you to Atrial Fibrillation Explained, the journal and the course. We're moving through the journal at the moment, and the journal and the course reflect really, the book, Atrial Fibrillation Explained.
In this video, we'll be covering an overview, and if you want to go to the book for more information on that, check out chapter one.
Atrial Fibrillation: Who and Why?
Age is probably the most significant contributor to the development of the rhythm but other factors such as structural abnormality of the heart, where and tear from high blood pressure, stress from being overweight and bad sleep can be implicated and so can too much alcohol.
Emotional stress and stress from such things as infection can also be significant contributors to the development of atrial fibrillation.
Making the diagnosis
The way the electrical system of the heart works is just amazing, every cell having the ability to trigger a contraction but the cells in the top part of the right atrium set the beat that the rest of the heart marches to.
The ECG is a way we can look at the electrical activity of the heart as it begins at the top of the heart and moves through to the bottom of the heart giving rise to coordinated synchronized contractions. Atrial fibrillation is a loss of the synchronicity of the top part of the heart.
Gathering information
When the diagnosis of atrial fibrillation is made, there is a requirement for the doctor to start collecting information to help inform future management decisions. There are some common tests are performed and information that is gathered.
Slowing the heart beat, thinning the blood
When we are confronted with atrial fibrillation, there are two things we are generally looking to address. The first thing we want to do is reduce symptoms and generally this requires Heart rate regulation. The other thing that we want to do is look to reduce the risk of stroke from clot forming in the recess of the left atrium called the left atrial appendage.
Restoring and maintaining normal rhythm
The decision to try and return people to normal rhythm or to accept that they may remain in permanent atrial fibrillation is complex and will generally be made by the treating cardiologist in conjunction with discussion with the patient understanding the features that would favor one treatment strategy or the other.
Complicated situations
As is always the case, life was never meant to be easy and so difficult situations arise where the complexity of a particular patients needs have to be met with the best possible medical outcome for that individual.
Medication Goals
Why do we talk about goals? Why do we talk about targets? Very simply, it’s because over time our research has shown us that if we get certain variables to certain targets, we can improve outcomes. A very simple example in the space that we’re talking about is people who have had heart attacks, who we then look to lower their cholesterol.
Bonus Worksheets: