What are the treatment options for atrial fibrillation?
Treating atrial fibrillation varies by individual. Your doctor will take a thorough history and perform a comprehensive physical examination to determine if your atrial fibrillation is due to another problem, such as hypertension, coronary artery disease, valvular heart disease, or thyroid dysfunction. Oftentimes, these primary problems may be treated with resolution of the atrial fibrillation. If the atrial fibrillation is not corrected by resolution of the primary problem, the patient is oftentimes anticoagulated for three to four weeks, and subsequently cardioverted back to normal rhythm. Cardioversion may occur in the form of an antiarrhythmic medication either orally or intravenously, or by the administration of electric shock therapy through patches placed on the chest. Electrical cardioversion occurs in a hospital setting, with the patient under brief general anesthesia for two to three minutes. Following cardioversion, patients are frequently kept on anticoagulant therapy for a
