Can AFib Give Me A Heart Attack?
Can AFib Give Me A Heart Attack?
In this video I discuss if AFib can cause a heart attack and the known risk factors for atrial fibrillation and coronary artery disease.
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Information is strictly educational in nature.
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Content
1.414 -> Thank you for visiting this
video segment for Dr. AFib.
4.525 -> I'm Dr. Morales.
5.915 -> In today's video segment we're going
7.637 -> to be talking about AFib and heart attacks
10.458 -> and discussing the question,
11.781 -> can AFib actually give you a heart attack?
14.847 -> Many patients when they have episodes
17.668 -> of atrial fibrillation,
they can have chest pain
20.652 -> and feel as if they are
having a heart attack.
24.285 -> So can atrial fibrillation
actually give you a heart attack?
28.372 -> The answer to that question
is both yes and no.
31.96 -> And let me explain why
I answer it that way.
35.423 -> Atrial fibrillation by itself is unlikely
38.83 -> to cause a heart attack in somebody
41.004 -> who has an otherwise normal heart.
43.349 -> Meaning that you've never had
a heart attack before,
45.532 -> you don't have any
blockages, you've never had
47.145 -> bypass surgery, and your
heart is otherwise normal.
50.733 -> It would be very unlikely
to see AFib cause
53.984 -> a heart attack even if your heart rate
55.69 -> was going pretty fast...120,
150 beats per minutes,
59.777 -> maybe even faster, close
to 180 beats per minute.
62.9 -> Again, if your heart is otherwise normal,
65.629 -> a normal strength and no blockages,
68.119 -> it would be unlikely for
it to cause a heart attack.
71.341 -> However, patients who
have atrial fibrillation
74.499 -> have also usually have very common risk factors
78.005 -> for also developing
coronary artery disease,
80.942 -> such as high blood pressure or diabetes,
84.437 -> or they are usually older in
age, over 60, 70 years of age.
88.756 -> And these are all common risk factors
91.658 -> for developing coronary
artery disease as well.
95.907 -> So when people have underlying
coronary artery disease
98.508 -> and you get an episode
of atrial fibrillation
100.517 -> and your heart rate is going fast,
101.968 -> it can certainly put
a strain on your heart
104.185 -> and cause signs of a heart attack.
107.343 -> When somebody is first
admitted to the hospital
110.327 -> with atrial fibrillation,
many blood tests are done,
112.969 -> but a blood test that is commonly done
115.017 -> is what's called cardiac enzymes.
116.98 -> These are blood tests looking for proteins
120.137 -> that are released when there
are signs of heart damage.
122.912 -> And it's not uncommon that
these blood tests are abnormal
126.687 -> when people have episodes
of atrial fibrillation
129.785 -> and also underlying
coronary artery disease.
132.33 -> And they can show signs of a heart attack.
134.675 -> Now these are typically not
massive or large heart attacks.
139.11 -> The blood tests might just
be a little bit abnormal.
142.059 -> But then the blood tests being
abnormal is just a marker
145.077 -> that there is underlying
coronary artery disease.
148.235 -> And I've talked many
times on previous videos
151.266 -> that the risk factors
for atrial fibrillation,
154.772 -> the common risk factors like
age, high blood pressure,
157.965 -> diabetes, smoking, these
are all risk factors
161.552 -> for also having coronary artery disease.
163.561 -> So the risk factors are very
similar between the two.
166.544 -> As a result, it's always important,
168.715 -> if you've been diagnosed
with atrial fibrillation,
170.677 -> to undergo screening for
coronary artery disease
173.545 -> such as with, like a stress test
175.507 -> to make there's no signs of any blockage
178.236 -> because the two risk
factors are very similar.
182.624 -> Thank you for visiting this
video segment for Dr. AFib.
185.91 -> I'll see you next time.
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-FEgCeTED0