I had one episode of AF (holiday heart). I'm only on ASA. Currently wearing an event monitor. They want to put in a loop recorder. Opinions?

[Bethaleena]

They called my 1 episode of AF HOLIDAY HEART. How worried should I be?

[Aprilbday]

First of all, don’t worry. You need to know your Chad score. Ask doctor. If you have a Chad score of 2 and are not on medication to prevent stroke-that may be a concern. Stroke is of concern in AF because the blood gets confused on where to go and can pool long enough to form a clot. 😊

[Hidden]

Not worried unless you felt very symptomatic.

But you are right to get it sorted out and you have taken the right steps to do that.

Are you in the USA?

[Bethaleena in reply to Hidden]

I was in hospital for 2.5 days. On a cardizem drip x26 hrs with lopressor ivp prn

[CaroleF]

If AF only occurs randomly then having a loop recorder inserted is a great idea and you are fortunate to be offered one since this will pick up 'events' that an ECG or a monitor worn for several days may not. It will thus enable a firmer diagnosis and a treatment plan to be decided on. The insertion of the device is a simple and pain-free procedure done under local anaesthetic and I really don't know that mine is there. There are plenty of posts on the Forum about the device just search for loop recorder or reveal device in the Search box top right.

I'm not sure what ASA is, but the advice about knowing your CHADVasc score is sensible since, depending on that, you may need to be taking an anticoagulant to lessen the risk of stroke.

If you are new to all this it can be scary at first, but the better informed you are the less scary it is so do go to the AFA website and read their Patient information leaflets here:

heartrhythmalliance.org/afa...

Any questions do fire away ….. there are lots of helpful and supportive people here.

Edited to say …. I may be wrong but I think the term 'AF Holiday Heart' is used when AF may have been induced by over-indulgence - particularly alcohol - whilst on holiday. If that's the case then cutting out alcohol could well be a sensible idea. Exceeding the recommended units isn't a good idea anyway and, more importantly, many people find that any alcohol is a trigger for AF episodes.

[Hidden in reply to CaroleF]

ASA - acetyl salicylic acid or aspirin perhaps? This plus the reveal after one episode suggested the US

[CaroleF in reply to Hidden]

Thanks, Hidden . Brain not in gear about ASA! I thought aspirin was viewed as not an appropriate medication for AF in the UK, so you are probably right that the original poster may well be in the USA. As for the reveal device …. I'm in the UK and my device was inserted after only one episode. Once I knew/understood more about AF I viewed myself as very fortunate to have been offered that on the NHS.

[Bethaleena in reply to CaroleF]

ASA is aspirin (81mg) that I'm still taking. And alcohol as well as coffee are off the list. And I also completed a sleep study to check for sleep apnea. Still waiting on those results. Thanks for all the info. Its greatly appreciated.

[Hidden]

Is it the AF or the loop recorder you are worried about? Or both?

[Bethaleena in reply to Hidden]

AF worried if one episode will lead to more. Loop recorder- wondering if I really need it since it was one time even most likely related to alcohol. Trying to weigh pros/cons.

[Hidden in reply to Bethaleena]

Further episodes are possible but not inevitable. Alcohol may well have triggered this but you may well have an underlying predisposion to AF.

oliversegal.com/heart-condi...

[Jlaine]

I also have a loop recorder too! Very convenient as it monitor's your heart activity! If you have an odd feeling with heart or chest pain I have a ? Remote that I can press and it will Mark the episode to let the Dr see exactly what was going on at that time. Simple out patient procedure with local anesthetic.

[Bethaleena in reply to Jlaine]

Any complications? Bruising, infection, scarring? How long til you felt "normal" after implantation?

[Jlaine]

It was a piece of cakee maybe a 1 inch incision in your upper lft chest area. They freeze the area 1st locally. You feel a little stinging discomfort for a few days or so. Very quick and simple procedure.Its a small bar that they insert. I think it's a great asset as my Dr knows exactly how often I am in afib and if there are any other issues that ocurr. I am surprised I don't hear more people say they have it. Check and see if your insurance covers procedure and mthly few for your Dr monitoring.it.