Atrial Fibrillation

About Us

The Gerald McGinnis Heart Institute at Allegheny General Hospital (AGH) in Pittsburgh, PA is at the forefront in research and treatment of cardiovascular diseases.  Atrial fibrillation, also known as “afib”, is a significant heart condition that may affect up to 5.1 million Americans, and that number is expected to be over 15 million by 2050. A significant number of people in the Pittsburgh area and Ohio Valley region suffer from this condition. Unfortunately many health care professionals, including doctors, think AF is a benign heart arrhythmia, however we know that atrial fibrillation increases your risk of stroke 5 fold, has a central role in the development of congestive heart failure and may significantly impair quality of life.

Most people, including cardiologists and electrophysiologists, believe that AF can only be treated with medications or cardioversion. While these are good initial treatments, if they fail other treatments are available. The Gerald McGinnis Heart Institute at AGH in Pittsburgh, along with several other major medical centers across the country, now have been successfully treating AF with state of the art technology for nearly the last 10 years.

Atrial fibrillation is the most prevalent cardiac arrhythmia in patients over 60. Not all types of afib are easily diagnosed, and many people, including doctors, simply do not understand the prevalence, severity and risks of atrial fibrillation.

The American Heart Association, the American College of Cardiology and the American Stroke Association consider afib a serious cardiac arrhythmia. Options for treatment of AF are available here at The Gerald McGinnis Heart Institute.

Sources

1. American Heart Association Guidelines for Management of Atrial Fibrillation Circ 2006;114:700-752
2. Human Molecular Genetics 2006 15(14):2185-2191
3. J Am Coll Cardiol, 2003; 42:93-100,
4. JAMA. 2001;285:2370-2375