CO2

Can someone explain the CO2 thing for converting? Is that just holding your breath? there is a lot on the forum about that. I am just not sure the "how" on that. Thanks.

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bettylou4488
Can someone explain the CO2 thing for converting? Is that just holding your breath? there is a lot on the forum about that. I am just not sure the "how" on that. Thanks.

I posted this several years ago. In short, I was doing strong breath holds while exercising and noticed they brought on afib afterwards. After two of these, I searched and found a sheep study. When the sheep were given a CO2 rich breathing mixture, they were less able to be put into afib, however, following a high CO2 breathing period with a normal one, they were more able to be put into afib after the CO2 while breathing the normal mixture after.

This is what I experienced. I hypothesized that creating a high level of CO2 by breath holding (and holding an exhale out is the most efficient way to do this) might convert an afib episode. I tried it and it worked once. I am in afib so infrequently, haven't really given it a statistical test. I should note they got the sheep up to 90 mmHg CO2 (from memory, haven't read the paper since), and it is hard with breath holding to get your CO2 above 45 mmHg. You have to also be willing to put up with very strong urge to breathe. Free divers do this, but feels very uncomfortable to most people, including me. You could enhance the process breathing in a paper bag. When I did it, I was watching a pulse wave monitor and could see the pulse wave change as I held my breath. It was pretty uncomfortable, but I was motivated to make it work.

I have been contacted privately by a member who is trying this, but I will let them comment themselves, if they want. It is not my story.

Don't know if it is placebo and not quite sure how i should describe my 'method'. Not that i have dipped into AF for quite some time but whenever if feel that my HR wants to go 'funny' (double beats or missed beats as far as i can tell) i breath in quite deep and hold my breath and when the urge comes i slowly breath out and then continue as per normal or sometimes i do it a few times.
Apart from that i do breathing exercises daily, even more so after reading "BREATH' by James Nestor.

I've frequent afib episodes and I've tried lots of things. Surprisingly, the very first time I had afib, nearly five years ago, without even knowing it was afib, I phoned my GP around 8 (my heart was abnormally beating since 2AM), and he suggested I did the breathing method explained here above by George.
It did not work for me. I gave this some other tries along the years, but without success. Maybe it would better suit adrenergic afibbers? I'm vagal...
Despite of that, I've noticed that the way I breathe can sometimes induce ectopics, so there's likely a link somewhere...

The other night I woke up in fib, when this happens I take a propafenone tablet and a beta blocker, normally my episode lasts three to four hours. I decided to try the breathing technique George described, I took a slow deep breath, held it as long as I could, and once I exhaled, I again held it as long as I could, it ended my episode after the first try. The next time I have an episode I will try this before taking the medication.