Hi all --- I am relating this story because it points out that stroke risk might not necessarily end when an afib episode ends.
A friend had open-heart surgery at age 52 for blocked arteries. He did well and everything looked good at his checkups, but then months later his doctor discovered he was in afib. Since neither my friend nor the doc had any idea how long he had been in afib--- could have been up to a month --- he was put in the hospital immediately for an electrocardioversion. Before the procedure they checked for clots and sure enough he had a large one in the left atrium. They used drugs to convert his afib but he spent 6 weeks in the hospital because he was at such high risk for stroke. The clot did not dissolve but became encapsulated so he was allowed to go home. He will be on coumadin the rest of his life of course, and he still gets occasional bouts of afib which don't seem to bother him and self-converts.
I guess what I'm saying is if you are not taking blood thinner, don't wait too long to get medical attention for afib --- 24 hrs is long enough. You could convert after a few days and not know you had formed a clot which could then break off and cause stroke long after the afib ended. Just a cautionary tale which might be of use to some who are undecided about when to go to the E.R.
which might help some who are undecided about when to go to the E.R.
