How Do You Diagnose Atrial Fibrillation?
When your heart beats normally, it beats 50-100 times per minute. In atrial fibrillation the upper chambers of the heart beat between 300-600 times a minute as a type of quivering in the chest. About 1% of all people have it. Typically this heart condition is harmless, but it a major complication is stroke. Pay attention to possible symptoms of atrial fibrillation. These include heart palpitations which give you a strange fluttering feeling in your chest and may leave you light headed or cause you to faint, overall weakness, shortness of breath, and chest pain. Visit your doctor. Explain your symptoms and provide your health history. Follow the doctor’s recommendations. He may require an electrocardiogram and/or a chest x-ray. Neither test is invasive. Wear, per your doctor’s assessment plan, an ambulatory electrocardiogram or Holter monitor for 24-48 hours. This will record your heart rhythm and document any heart palpitations you are experiencing. Undergo a doppler echocardiogram tes
