Facts about Atrial Fibrillation you should be aware of and Louisville BLS Certification

AFib or AF that stands for Atrial Fibrillation is the most common type of irregular heartbeat that affects more than 5 million adults in the United States. It is a condition that causes the upper chambers of the heart to beat extremely fast and irregularly. Before going ahead, here’s some information on the life-saving CPR procedure.

CPR procedure comprises chest compressions and rescue breaths. Properly administering the techniques can help you revive the life of a victim involved in a cardiac arrest or heart attack. Most cardiac arrests occur due to a dangerous type of arrhythmia, or irregular heartbeat by the name of ventricular fibrillation that affects the ticker’s ventricles. V-fib may happen several times a day in some people which requires immediate medical attention because sustained V-fib can lead to cardiac arrest and death. The symptoms of V-fib include fainting, acute shortness of breath, near fainting or transient dizziness and cardiac arrest.

Treating V-fib:

There are 2 stages when it comes to treating V-fib where the first tries to stop your V-fib immediately to restore a blood pressure and pulse whereas the second stage focuses on reducing your chances of developing V-fib in the future. Treatments include CPR, defibrillation, medication, catheter ablation and left cardiac sympathetic denervation. We are going to focus on the first two:

CPR- The first response to V-fib may be cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) which keeps the blood moving until advanced care. Select a certified training center for acquiring training such as the AHA certified CPRLouisville in Kentucky. The programs offered include Basic Life Support or BLS certification Louisville, Pediatric Advanced Life Support and Advanced Cardiac Life Support and HeartSaver CPR (for people who do not have a medical background).

Defibrillation- You will need this during or immediately after the V-fib which involves application of electric shock that can correct the signals that are telling your heart muscles to quiver instead of pump.

Things to know about AFib:

1.      Age is the greatest risk factor where one in 10 people over the age of 80 having the heart condition with the other common risk factors being cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity and family history.

2.      The condition may or may not cause symptoms with the common symptoms being irregular and rapid heartbeat, dizziness, heart palpitations, weakness, fainting, fatigue, shortness of breath.

3.      The condition is diagnosed with an electrocardiogram that can be performed during an office visit.

4.      AFib can be controlled with medications in most cases. However, it can be treated with catheter or surgical ablation if medications do not work or cause side effects.

5.      The risk of stroke increases by fivefold in an individual with AFib. Patients should consult with their doctors if their risk of stroke is high enough to warrant being placed on blood thinners.

Meet your doctor at the earliest possible time if you have any symptoms of AFib who’ll talk to you about the best approach for management of the condition.

At CPR Louisville, you can either register for a class online or call on 502-804-6132 for the same.