Patient's question:
Grandma fainted suddenly while cooking in the kitchen a few days ago. When asked how it happened, she said she suddenly felt uncomfortable with her heart and couldn't recover, so she fainted. I'd like to ask the doctor what are the symptoms of atrial fibrillation? How should it be treated? Does it need surgery?Doctor's answer:
Atrial fibrillation can cause symptoms such as palpitations, chest tightness, and chest pain, and may also lead to blackouts or even fainting. The specific symptoms depend on the characteristics of the atrial fibrillation, which can be either rapid or slow. In addition to atrial fibrillation accompanied by a second-degree or higher conduction block, it is necessary to perform a 24-hour Holter monitoring for atrial fibrillation patients to understand their basic condition. If the atrial fibrillation is of cardiac origin, the patient may have experienced multiple episodes of atrial fibrillation accompanied by sinus arrest. In this case, if surgery is required, an implantable pacemaker may be necessary. However, it is important to investigate other potential causes of fainting.