Lower resting heart rate increased incidence of AF

[heart.bmj.com]

Conclusions This population based study supports the hypothesis that the risk of drug treated lone AF increases with declining resting heart rate in both sexes, and with increasing levels of self-reported physical activity in men.

I am in the low resting heart rate / sinus bradycardia camp. (Or at least I was prior to my recent ablation). I recorded an all time low of 35bpm on an IPhone app prior to the ablation. Previously a cardiologist prescribed Bisoprolol, an antiarythmic. My research uncovered information that this type of drug lowers the heart rate and should be discontinued if that is the case. I refused the drug and followed up with a consultation with an EP who said I was not a good candidate for antiarythmic drugs because of the Marked Sinus Bradycardia, and that my best first line of defence was an ablation.

Further to this, post ablation it is typical for the heart to rest at a higher rate. Pr. Jais commented last week that an ablation favours those with a low heart rate. Post ablation my heart is at a much happier + - 60bpm.
Ron

The heart meds/drugs I used definitely lowered my HR which was never high to begin with unless during an event.

It has been my experience with using heart meds for AF that until I put back into the cells what was missing… (nutrients versus drugs), I did not measurably or consistently improve.... plus the drugs made me feel awful.

When I reached nutrient optimization or repletion, then I could eliminate the drugs. Even post-ablation and off drugs, if my levels of the electrolytes and other nutrients responsible for the heart energy (voltage) became insufficient, that would trigger an event. I also stepped up proteolytic enzyme intake to help assist magnesium in getting rid of cardiac fibrosis which interferes with the cell signaling and optimal electrical conduction.

This will all be covered (eventually) in my revised version of The Strategy that is on the workbench undergoing a complete overhaul. There are several other very important factors that need to be added. Now that it’s summer and I’m enjoying the luxury of great weather (mostly), I’m not spending as much time at the computer so it's a work in progress. Stay tuned.

Jackie

My experience is that intense activity will cause a lowered resting heart rate, generally after a lag of several days. During this time, I'm at much greater risk for afib.

A recent experience was a 13 hour day of activity at continuous high heart rate (mountaineering). My normal resting heart rate is ~54. Several days after this activity, my heart rate was in the high 30's & low 40's. This did trigger afib, which was converted with PIP flec (300 mg) in 50 minutes. A day or two later, the resting heart rate returned to normal (I also refrained from continuous hard activity). I generally, but not always, refrain from this kind of activity. In the future, I may take 50-100 mg/flec at night to pre-treat for this if I succumb to the temptation to partake. Flec does have vagolytic activity. Ginger might work, too.

George

I have a pacemaker because of bradycardia, my pacer is set at 50, so my heart rate does not go below 50, I still get AF every few months.

Liz

If low heart rate causes afib, perhaps the tendency of ablation to increase resting heart rate is an accidental benefit.

I do think low heart rate might contribute to my episodes, which tend to occur now when I'm winding down for the evening.

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Lone paroxysmal vagal atrial fibrillation. Age 62, female, no risk factors. Autonomic instability since severe Paxil withdrawal in 2004, including extreme sensitivity to neuro-active drugs, supplements, foods. Monthly tachycardia started 1/11, happened only at night, during sleep, or when waking, bouts of 5-15 hours. Changed to afib about a year ago, same pattern. Frequency increased over last 6 months, apparently with sensitivity to more triggers. Ablation 6/27/13 by Steven Hao.

I thought low heart rate was always an AF predictor before Ablation. It was always 45-55 (45 being at night as registered by a Holter) then increasing with exercize of course. Now, 8 mths after standard PVI ablation it is all over the place. It ran high 80s for a while as expected, then I had some odd days of skipped beats or PACs, mostly as a result of dehydration where it was down to 50 bpm, then it setted 68-75 for a while, now it's running high again (85). Party some of this variance might have been the influence of a bilateral inguinal hernia op that caused me some post operative grief, corticosetroid pain shots and so on, but in general it seems to me the old ticker takes a while to get back to a stable state (apart from SNR that has, as far as I know been in place since October, without Flec or any other drug - touch wood) .

Since ablation, like many other people I have read here, it feels like some PACs or skipped beats that would previously lead to AF, don't, because the electrical impulse genies in the PVs can't make it out of the bottle.

Just hope it stays that way or it's back to the groin pain again (and I don't do Foleys too well)



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/22/2013 02:24PM by afhound99.