AFib Burden

[cherylttt]

A 7 day Zio monitor earlier in the day indicated my afib burden increased from 3% to 18%. My cardiologist increased my metoprolol from 100 to 150 mg and slapped another Zio onto me for 14 days. Burden went down to 8%. Then I was referred to an electrophysiologist. He decreased the metoprolol to 75mg and added sotalol 80mg twice a day and slapped another 14 day Zio on me. Burden went up to 11%. Now he’s taking me off the sotalol, which is great I feel terrible on it. He says I can either choose conservative management and live with this or treat. He would treat either by doing an ablation or with amiodarone. The thing is my underlying condition is hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and I have been told that ablations are less successful with that condition.

it seems to me that being in afib is a stress on one’s heart and thus not a good thing even if the symptoms aren’t too bad.

Has anyone experienced something similar?

thank you!

[mav7]

When you say "burden" meaning you went from being in afib 3% to 18% of the time ? Sorry if naive question, haven't seen "burden" often used.

Afib is definitely not a good thing, but if controlled and monitored many ppl live successfully.

See you have been in the forum since '19. Have they ever tried a cardioversion preceded and/or followed by an antiarrythmic drug ?

Not a medical professional, but it does seem the hypertrophic cardiomyopathy may be a factor in an ablation or even a minimaze. Did the EP discuss your possible success rate ?

If unable to return to NSR, seems you are faced with rate control or rhythm control. Not the worst thing to live with afib. As BobD often says, quality of life is the determining factor in treatment options.

[cherylttt in reply to mav7]

Thank you for your reply. Yes the burden is the percentage of time in AFib vs total time. I am in AFib 11% and in normal rhythm 89%. I don’t feel that bad. Tired. It limits me physically, which is my biggest complaint. I’ve only been treated with meds so far.

[Kent2007]

Hi. Sorry to be about your trials and tribulations. I hope you get a solution. But, I'm interested in your references to "AF burden". I only came across this term recently in the context of stroke risk. I think my AF burden is very low but I don't know how it is calculated.

[Auriculaire in reply to Kent2007]

If you know how many hours/days your afib episodes last and how many you have in a year you can work out the number of hours/ days you have spent in afib for that year and work it out as a percentage of 365 days.

[Kent2007 in reply to Auriculaire]

Simple as that! Logic, too, I suppose. That puts me at a very low level I'm pleased to say.