Is Your Heart Trying to Tell You Something? AFib Explained by Cardiac Electrophysiologist Dr. Arfaat Khan
Atrial fibrillation, or AFib, is one of the most common heart rhythm disorders, and it is not only something to worry about when you are older. In this short episode recorded for AFib Awareness Month, cardiac electrophysiologist Dr. Arfaat Khan explains what AFib is, the symptoms you should not ignore, who may be at risk, and why catching and treating it early can make a real difference.
What you'll learn in this mini-episode:
Know what AFib is. It is a common heart rhythm disorder in which the top chambers of the heart beat chaotically. Dr. Khan says more than 55 million people worldwide are affected.
Watch for the symptoms. These can include anxiety, palpitations, a feeling that your heart is skipping beats, tiredness, shortness of breath, and trouble keeping up with normal routines.
Act early. AFib is progressive, so it can start mild and later become harder to reverse. Dr. Khan says earlier diagnosis and treatment are linked to better outcomes.
Ask about a specialist. A cardiac electrophysiologist is a cardiologist with advanced training in heart rhythm disorders. Primary care doctors, ER physicians and cardiologists can all refer you.
Understand the risk factors. High blood pressure, diabetes and a history of heart failure are common, and the risk rises with age.
Learn about catheter ablation. This minimally invasive outpatient procedure targets the faulty electrical signals to help restore normal rhythm. Most patients go home the same day and return to normal activities within a few days.
Know the treatment gap. Dr. Khan says only about 5% of eligible patients currently receive catheter ablation, which is why awareness matters.
About the guest: Dr. Arfaat Khan
Dr. Arfaat Khan is a board-certified cardiac electrophysiologist specializing in the diagnosis and treatment of heart rhythm disorders, including atrial fibrillation, supraventricular tachycardia, ventricular arrhythmias, cardiac device implantation, and complex catheter ablation procedures. He is also an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Wayne State University and Michigan State University, where he is actively involved in teaching the next generation of physicians.
More information about AFib: GetSmartAboutAFib.com
This episode is for general information only and is not medical advice. If you have symptoms or questions about your heart health, talk with your own doctor.
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Full episode transcript
Read the full transcript
Marijo: Hello, this is Marijo Tinlin from the Teaching Your Toddler Show. Today, we have a great episode. We are recording in September, which is the beginning of AFib Awareness Month. And we have a special guest, Dr. Arfaat Khan is with us to talk to about that. So, first of all, Doctor, welcome to the show. Tell us a little bit what is AFib?
Dr. Khan: So, thank you Marijo for having me on the show today. So, atrial fibrillation, also known as AFib, is a very common heart rhythm disorder in which the top chambers of the heart start to beat chaotically. It's a very common condition. Over 55 million people globally are affected by it. And if left untreated, it can lead to serious complications.
Marijo: Oh, wow. So, what like how do you know that you have it?
Dr. Khan: So, patients can present with different types of symptoms. You can have anxiety, palpitation, feeling your heart skipping beats, feeling tired, short of breath. Basically, having difficulty carrying on the normal routines that you were able to do without any problem. You have to understand that AFib is a progressive condition. It starts out in the early stage, and then it can later progress down to the point where you can't get rid of it. So, that's why it's very, very important to identify it and treat it early. And it's also important that if you do are diagnosed with atrial fibrillation, that you should be referred to a cardiac electrophysiologist, which is actually a specialized cardiologist who are specially trained to identify and manage the different aspects of atrial fibrillation.
Marijo: What can you explain what an a electrophysiologist is? That's you.
Dr. Khan: Yeah, so I'm electrophysiologist. So, electrophysiologist is basically a physician that's actually a cardiologist, but has advanced training in managing different heart rhythm disorders. And AFib is actually one of the most common heart rhythm disorders.
Marijo: Oh, wow. Okay. So, how old do you tend to see your patients? Or what how early should a patient start to think about this?
Dr. Khan: So, recent studies showed that the earlier you diagnose AFib and treat it, the better the outcomes. Because AFib is a progressive condition. So, within, you know, a month to at least within a year of treatment of AFib actually leads to better patient outcomes.
Marijo: Are there any precondition pre-existing conditions that you tend to see with patients?
Dr. Khan: So, some patients can have like hypertension, diabetes, you know, history of heart failure. But that generally the older you get, these are the more common risk factors of development of AFib.
Marijo: And so, there are some new options for treatment that you're going to tell us about.
Dr. Khan: Yeah, although there are different many treatment options available, catheter ablation is a very safe, minimally invasive procedure in which we go into the heart and help identify where the faulty electrical signals are, target them, and help restore normal rhythm. It's an outpatient procedure. As I said, it's minimally invasive. Most patients are able to go home that same day. They have little to no discomfort after the procedure, and typically they resume their normal activities within a few days after the procedure is done. I personally use the CARTO 3, 3D electroanatomic mapping system, and this mapping system helps me reconstruct the patient's heart's anatomy, and also helps me localize where the faulty electrical signals are, so that I can specifically tailor each therapy individual to the patient, and that actually leads to improved patient success and improved patient outcomes.
But it's important to understand that although 55 million people globally are affected by atrial fibrillation, only 5% of eligible patients are actually getting this catheter ablation procedure done.
Marijo: Is that just because they don't know, or is it because doctors don't know to refer this, or what's causing that?
Dr. Khan: I think it's a common, you know, it's a multitude of different things, right? And with September being AFib awareness month, our goal is to help increase awareness about what AFib is and what therapies are actually available to treat atrial fibrillation, such as catheter ablation.
Marijo: Excellent. So, is it usually referred from a PCP then? Sorry, a primary care physician?
Dr. Khan: Yeah, a primary care physician, ER physicians, you know, cardiologists, anyone can actually refer to a cardiac electrophysiologist. But as a patient, you know, there are multiple different resources available to So, if you think you have AFib, Johnson & Johnson actually has a website called getsmartaboutafib.com, which actually has a lot of educational videos, testimonials, and even a questionnaire to see if you qualify for a catheter ablation procedure.
Marijo: Oh, excellent. Well, thank you. I have Of course, I was going to ask you for more information, so we'll make sure that that link is available for the listeners. Thank you so much. This is a fascinating topic, and I'm glad that you that you brought it. And thank you so much for joining us today.
Dr. Khan: Thank you very much for having me. Appreciate it.
Marijo: Absolutely.
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