Treatment Options for Atrial Fibrillation

Clinical practice guidelines are recommendations for treating a specific health condition. They assist health care professionals in making informed decisions about your care, and they can help you understand your condition and treatment options. The American Heart Association and other heart health organizations published the clinical practice guidelines for diagnosing and managing atrial fibrillation in November 2023.

A group of health care professionals and scientists who study atrial fibrillation, as well as people living with AFib and their caregivers, spent months reviewing the latest research on AFib. After discussing the studies and ideas together, they wrote a list of recommendations for the best and safest ways to prevent, diagnose and treat this condition. The guidelines include information about AFib’s possible causes and symptoms and the ways it affects people and their families.

The guidelines also highlight three important topics for you and your health care professionals to discuss. They can be remembered with the abbreviation “SOS”:

• Stroke risk assessment and treatment, if appropriate.
• Optimization of all modifiable risk factors. This means making lifestyle changes to reduce your risk of AFib or improve your symptoms.
• Symptom management using medications or procedures that manage your heart’s rate and rhythm. Controlling heart rhythm early is important for treating AFib.

Treatments will vary depending on your diagnosis and may include:

• Medications
• Nonsurgical procedures
• Surgical procedures

Top 10 Takeaways From the Latest AFib Guidelines

1. AFib is the most common type of irregular heart rhythm. More people are being diagnosed with AFib in the United States, reflecting its aging population, better ways of detecting AFib and better survival rates in people with previous episodes of AFib or other heart diseases. Over 5 million people in the United States are living with AFib.
   
   
2. The most common symptoms of AFib are a racing heartbeat or abnormal heart palpitations, shortness of breath and feeling lightheaded or dizzy.
   
   
3. A wearable heart rhythm monitor that detects irregular heartbeats can help diagnose AFib. This technology is becoming more sophisticated and reliable, so health care professionals view the results seriously.
   
   
4. Clinical practice guidelines give health care professionals the latest information on how AFib can be diagnosed and treated. The guideline also highlights three important topics, nicknamed “SOS,” for you and your care team to discuss.
   
   
5. The biggest health concern relating to AFib is stroke. During AFib, your heart pumps blood abnormally. Because the blood isn’t circulating properly, it can pool in the heart and form clots. The clots can travel through blood vessels into your brain and cause a blockage, leading to stroke.
   
   
6. Blood thinners can guard against stroke. Direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) are newer medications for AFib that are safer and easier to take.
   
   
7. Your treatment may change as your AFib symptoms change. You should discuss any changes in symptoms with your health care team.
   
   
8. In most cases, AFib can be treated with medications that manage the heart’s rhythm and/or slow heart rate. If medications don’t work well enough, doctors can perform surgical procedures such as electrical cardioversion and ablation to manage AFib.
   
   
9. You are your best advocate. You should never be afraid to ask your health care professional questions or ask for an explanation for any aspect of your care, including how much things cost. You should discuss your treatment goals and preferences with your health care team so they can create appropriate care plans.
   
   
10. Partnering with your health care professionals, taking medications properly and making smart lifestyle choices will lead to better results on your journey with AFib.

This printable sheet, Partnering in Your Treatment (PDF) | Spanish (PDF), can help you discuss your goals and options with your health care professional.