What happens after a cardioversion?
What happens after a cardioversion?
Your Recovery After the procedure, you may have redness, like a sunburn, where the patches were. The medicines you got to make you sleepy may make you feel drowsy for the rest of the day. Your doctor may have you take medicines to help the heart beat normally and to prevent blood clots.
Does cardioversion cure atrial flutter?
Cardioversion can correct a heartbeat that’s too fast (tachycardia) or irregular (fibrillation). Cardioversion is usually done to treat people who have atrial fibrillation or atrial flutter.
What is cardioversion of atrial fibrillation?
Cardioversion is a procedure used to return an abnormal heartbeat to a normal rhythm. This procedure is used when the heart is beating very fast or irregular. This is called an arrhythmia. Arrhythmias can cause problems such as fainting, stroke, heart attack, and even sudden cardiac death.
What does it mean to have a cardioversion?
Cardioversion is a corrective procedure where an electrical shock is delivered to the heart to convert, or change, an abnormal heart rhythm back to normal sinus rhythm. Most elective or “non-emergency” cardioversions are performed to treat atrial fibrillation (A Fib) or atrial flutter (AFL),…
Can a cardioversion procedure restore a normal heartbeat?
For most people, cardioversion can quickly restore a regular heartbeat. It’s possible you’ll need additional procedures to keep a normal heart rhythm. Your doctor may suggest lifestyle changes to improve your heart health and prevent or treat conditions that can cause arrhythmias, such as high blood pressure.
When to have a cardioversion for atrial fibrillation?
Before cardioversion for atrial fibrillation, you will be given medicine to control pain and cause relaxation. Cardioversion may be done as a planned (non-emergency) procedure to stop atrial fibrillation. Or it may be done as an emergency procedure if atrial fibrillation has caused a dangerously fast heart rate or low blood pressure.
How is cardioversion used to treat atrial flutter?
Cardioversion is usually used to treat people who have atrial fibrillation or atrial flutter. These conditions occur when the electrical signals that normally make your heart beat at a regular rate don’t travel properly through the upper chambers of your heart. Cardioversion is performed when your heart is beating ineffectively.
Before cardioversion for atrial fibrillation, you will be given medicine to control pain and cause relaxation. Cardioversion may be done as a planned (non-emergency) procedure to stop atrial fibrillation. Or it may be done as an emergency procedure if atrial fibrillation has caused a dangerously fast heart rate or low blood pressure.
When does your heart go back to normal after cardioversion?
Cardioversion is less successful if you have had atrial fibrillation for longer than 1 year. After this treatment, about 9 out of 10 people get back a normal heart rhythm right away. But for many people, atrial fibrillation returns. Normal rhythm may last less than a day or for weeks or months.
Can a cardioversion procedure cause an irregular heartbeat?
Antiarrhythmic medicines used before and after cardioversion or even the cardioversion itself may cause a life-threatening irregular heartbeat. You could have a reaction to the medicine given to you before the procedure. But harmful reactions are rare. You can get a small area of burn on your skin where the patches are placed.
How is electrical cardioversion used to reset the heart?
Electrical cardioversion is a procedure in which an electric current is used to reset the heart’s rhythm back to its regular pattern ( normal sinus rhythm ). The low-voltage electric current enters the body through patches applied to the chest wall.