I wouldn't have bothered to post here ... I'd have gone direct to A&E at the end of the 24hours. The old adage comes to mind .... he who hesitates is lost. If AF can find a way of having its wiçked way it will do so.
Back in my early days with AF, I just drove myself to A & E at 9 hours from onset ! Gives the medics a chance to fight the good fight.
As long as your heart rate is under control, no need to rush the A&E right away unless you have chest pain, shortness of breath or feel like you are going to faint.
That said, my US electrophysiologist (ep) asked me to contact him if I was atrial fibrillation for more than three days so he could arrange for an electrical cardioversion within the week.
The thinking here is that you do not want the heart getting used to being in afib, as over time it can start to remodel. Also of note is that after a week in afib, you are technically categorized as having persistent afib vs paroxysmal afib.
From reading here, I do understand that getting an electrical cardioverion in the UK within a week may not always be possible, but again the sooner you get back into rhythm the better.
Moving forward, anti-arrhythmic meds such as pill and pocket (PIP) Flecainide might be ideal for someone like yourself with only 3 to 4 episodes a year, especially if you don't convert naturally within a few hours.
As to this being part of afib's progression, it's hard to say, as afib can be so fickle.
All advice here is just general and questions about going to A&E and cardioversion should be best addressed by a medical professional familiar with your individual situation.
mine are nearly always 24 hours and over. My cardiologist suggests I don't go to emergency as it will always convert. He had been right so far over the last 10 years or so but every time I think it wont and get depressed. My longest is 40 hours. Everyone is different, mine is usually long so I guess I don't concern that much. If it was usually short I would get more worried. Do what the specialist says I think.
I don't think so - I suppose you mean a fast heart rate (over 120?) which I have hardly experienced since being on my medication, and it hasn't been mentioned from my ECG's (KardiaMobile)
With my PAF I tend to have hr around 170, like you 3-4 times a year. I give it an hour then flecainide pip and if that hadn’t done the trick after another 2 hrs my plan is A&E. it nearly always resolves with the pip. You have to assess how you’re feeling with it at the time. Take care 🦊x
My AF episodes over about 4 years were roughly every 6 to 8 weeks, and lasted 2 to 3 days before self converting. Because I was on max dose of beta blocker and anticoagulation, I never bothered seeking medical assistance, just rode it out. Then one day another episode started, and never stopped, I had slipped into persistent. Luckily by then I was already on a waiting list for ablation, which took place a few weeks later (4 months ago).
It was all going very well, no after effects, nearly reached end of 3 month blanking without incident, then I had a bronchoscopy which triggered persistent atrial flutter. Had a cardioversion recently to put me back in sinus and continue the progress from ablation. All good so far, but wary of further pitfalls on the road ahead!
That's a difficult one. If it was me (as I recently had to), and have an uncharacteristic event that lasts for more than 24 hours, I'd seek medical help. Or straight away if any pain involved. That's half the problem with this affliction, it's so unpredictable. Trouble is, I know how stubborn my AF can be and from past experience, if it hasn't self converted in that time, I'm pretty sure that it won't. It's taken me 29 years since first diagnosed to get to the stage where my AF is now termed as persistent.
I think so long as you feel well, you are well. If the heart rate stays too high for too long that can cause temporary reduction in EF - or it did with me when I had persistent Afl with a rate of 105 / 155 for a long time.
My EP always told me to sit it out unless I felt particularly unwell with dizziness, fainting or chest pain. My episodes used to come about every 4 months but always lasted around 36 hours. I had an ablation in March and have been ok so far 🤞I wouldn't go to A & E unless the symptoms appeared that I was told about. I think BobD says afib is neither an accident nor an emergency.
I was also told that afib was like a jack in the box the more it pops out the more it wants to. The longer episodes may be progression for you, have you considered an ablation?
I found flecainide a miracle drug. It is a rhythm control snd together with bisoprolol which is a rate control should ease you quite quickly.
3-4 times a year snd only 80-90 settled after a while is not too bad and within range, but if you are still worried then do go to A&E. only an EP or cardiologist can prescribe flecainide not a GP
I was told to go to A&E as my heart rate and blood pressure soared and they liked to keep an eye on me. When I went in, I was taken for an ECG almost straight away and they took my blood pressure as well and when they saw the results, I always got taken to the Majors dept and they usually gave me some sort of treatment to try and stop it. I can’t complain about the treatment I had there.
Luckily, it didn’t happen very often and I was lucky enough to have an ablation a year ago. They say that an ablation is more successful, if you only have paroxsysmal AFib, so 🤞🤞🤞mine keeps the nasty AFib away. It might be worth you asking about one, while you’re still only getting PAFib.
mine used to be about 24 hrs but now can be anything from that to five or six days. Advice from cardiologist has been as long as average heart rate when resting below about 100/110 then no issue just wait it out.
My experience with flecainide as a PIP, with confirmation from other Forum members, is that the quicker I take my PIP dose (100mg) after the start of AF, then the faster it is resolved. Waiting to take that first dose, as I did when first using PIP flecainide, didn't work for me. Just saying.
are you on anticoagulants? If not I’ve been told a clot can start to form after a few days of AF. I’ve been in sinus for about 8 months now but in the past I went into AF and started my PIP and the drugs settled me to HR of 60’s but still in AF though the ECG fooled the clinician who thought I was in sinus. I stayed in AF for 4 weeks as I was on a flight the next day, I was cardioverted when I returned and went 10 months before next AF. I used to self convert but now it’s CV for me
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Another episode
Continuous afib
Post Ablation Episode
My first AFib episode since diagnosis 
