Dameron Hospital | Health Outlook | Fall 2020

YOU’RE OUT MOWING THE LAWN, enjoying a round of golf or just taking a leisurely stroll, and suddenly something doesn’t feel right. It’s nothing to bring you to your knees, but your heart feels strange, like it’s beating too quickly for your level of exertion or just uncomfortably flip-flopping in your chest. Your doctor may refer you to a cardiologist to evaluate your heart for possible arrhythmia problems. Atrial fibrillation (AFib) is one of the most common types of arrhythmias. While there are no clear-cut signs of AFib, many patients feel some type of symptom, such as palpitations, shortness of breath, fatigue or light- headedness. Left untreated, AFib can be life-threatening. Underlying heart or lung disease, high blood pressure, thyroid problems, excessive alcohol use, sleep apnea, and regular vigorous exercise can put people at risk. We’ve got the beat … and can help you get it too! Treatment options include medications that can manage AFib. If medications don’t work, you may be referred to an electrophysiologist, a physician who specializes in abnormal heart rhythms. How surgery helps Dameron Hospital’s Electrophysiology (EP) Program offers comprehensive diagnostic and treatment for AFib patients in San Joaquin County under the leadership of Rashaad Chothia, MD, a board-certified cardiologist, electrophysiologist and Dameron’s EP Program medical director. “We’re able to offer patients excellent options in treating their heart arrhythmias at Dameron’s EP lab,” says Dr. Chothia. “We can determine if you need an implantable device, like a pacemaker, or treatment with a catheter ablation procedure.” According to Dr. Chothia, each beat of your heart is triggered by an electrical impulse generated in the upper right chamber of your heart. People with AFib have faulty signals that fire so rapidly that the upper chambers quiver (fibrillate) instead of beating smoothly. These rapidly discharging triggers are called hot spots. To restore a normal heart rhythm, these hot spots must be isolated. In a catheter ablation, the surgeon will guide a catheter into your heart to destroy or isolate hot spots. A 3-D mapping system, which functions like a GPS for the anatomy of your heart, and live cardiac ultrasound imaging let your doctor see the catheters as they are moved into your heart. Some catheters have wire electrodes that locate and record the source 6  Health Outlook • Fall 2020 CARD IOLOGY