Significance of average HR while in Afib?

What is the significance of your average HR while in Afib? Years ago, before going on antiarrhythmics, I would have RVR and very high BP, but these days my rate is much lower, even if I have suspended my antiarrhythmic for a week (which I did recently while on a monitor).

There's not much significance, really.

Are you taking any sort of beta blocker or calcium channel blocker? If so, that suppresses your rate.

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Carey
There's not much significance, really.

Are you taking any sort of beta blocker or calcium channel blocker? If so, that suppresses your rate.

Not any longer--just Multaq and Eliquis, though when I stopped Multaq for the week I was on a monitor, my AF episodes ran at about 85 - 115 average BPM according to Kardia. 12 years ago (pre Flecainide) the average was about 150 - 170. Just wondered...

How long are your episodes? If they are hours or several days, then not a big deal. If weeks and >100 BPM, then rate control would be indicated.

Multaq lowers hr

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GeorgeN
How long are your episodes? If they are hours or several days, then not a big deal. If weeks and >100 BPM, then rate control would be indicated.

Only a few hours. Sometimes they will stop if I jump up and down or run in place and get my HR up.

@susan.d I stopped Multaq for over a week and had a couple of episodes where my HR was only in the low 80’s.

I think all you're seeing is your AV node was 12 years younger 12 years ago. The ability of the AV node to sustain high rates drops with age.

"What is the significance of your average HR while in Afib?"

The lower you HR is (down to to what your normal NSR HR is) the better and more efficiently the Afib Heart will operate.
Symptoms are usually proportional to how high the Afib HR is. Having an low HR negates the need for rate control drugs and thus any potential side effects from these drugs. As George stated a Afib HR of over 100 if the figure used that puts someone into the risk of Heart Failure due to the high rate (tachycardia-induced cardiomyopathy).

Normally in an NSR contraction, the Atria will contract and push the blood down into the ventricles (Atrial Kick)". When in Afib, we lose this process. Having a lower Afib HR allows the Ventricles to still fill with blood even without the Atria working, whereas a higher rate will result in the heart beating with only a fraction of the blood in a normal contraction. The result of this is that a lower Afib HR will produce stronger Heart Beats that pumps the blood more forcefully through the body, and this should lower the chance of a clot forming throughout the body. There was a small study done that showed that in patients with a rate controlled strong heartbeat (ejection fraction), that the force from the ventricles beating actually pushed up hard enough against the fillibrating Atria to cause sufficient blood flow to reduce clot formation in the Atria.

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The Anti-Fib
The lower you HR is (down to to what your normal NSR HR is) the better and more efficiently the Afib Heart will operate.
Symptoms are usually proportional to how high the Afib HR is

Interesting explanation. I can certainly vouch for a lower level of symptoms these days now that my Afib rate is much lower. I could barely walk when I had Afib with RVR. Thanks for that commentary.