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Atrial Fibrillation Clinic
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is an irregular heart rhythm that can come and go or last for longer periods. A Heartscope consultation can cover a new diagnosis, troublesome episodes or decisions about ongoing treatment.
In atrial fibrillation (AF), irregular electrical signals make the heart's two upper chambers, called the atria, quiver instead of squeezing normally. This makes the heartbeat uneven and often faster than usual.
Some people feel a racing or fluttering heartbeat, known as palpitations. AF can also leave you breathless, unusually tired or dizzy, or make exercise harder. Others feel well and only discover they have AF during a check-up or heart recording.
Symptoms alone can't confirm AF or show your risk of stroke. An ECG, which records the heart's electrical activity, is needed to diagnose it. A recording also helps distinguish AF from other causes of palpitations, which may need different treatment.
Call triple zero (000) for severe, worsening or persistent chest pain, or chest discomfort with breathlessness, sweating, nausea or pain spreading to your arm, jaw or back.
Do not wait for a routine appointment or drive yourself to hospital.
Doctors use these names to describe how long AF lasts, although permanent AF also reflects a decision about treatment. The type of AF doesn't tell you how severe symptoms are or whether you need medicine to reduce stroke risk.
AF episodes end within seven days, either on their own or with treatment. They can last minutes or hours and may return at irregular intervals. Your heartbeat may be normal between episodes, so a short recording can miss AF.
AF continues for more than seven days. Your doctor may discuss treatment to restore the usual rhythm. If AF has continued for at least a year and that treatment is still planned, it's called long-standing persistent AF.
Permanent AF means you and your doctor have agreed to stop trying to restore the usual rhythm. Treatment continues to manage symptoms and heart rate, reduce stroke risk and treat other health conditions.
AF becomes more common with age and sometimes runs in families. High blood pressure and other heart conditions, including heart valve disease and heart failure, can increase the chance of developing AF. Diabetes, an overactive thyroid and sleep apnoea, which interrupts breathing during sleep, are also linked with AF.
An episode can start during a serious infection or after major surgery. Alcohol can trigger AF too. Your doctor will look for possible causes, though there isn't always one clear explanation.
Treatment may include help with other health conditions, cutting back on alcohol, stopping smoking, finding a level of activity you can manage and, for some people, advice about weight. At follow-up appointments, you can discuss changes in symptoms and whether medicines are helping or causing side effects.
Medicines can slow the heartbeat while AF continues; this is called rate control. Rhythm control aims to restore the usual rhythm and keep it steady. The choice depends on how AF affects your symptoms and heart function, and how well earlier treatment has worked.
Electrical cardioversion uses a controlled shock under anaesthetic to restore the usual rhythm. AF ablation treats small areas of tissue around the pulmonary veins, which bring blood from the lungs to the heart, to block signals that can trigger AF. Both take place in hospital after a separate referral. AF can return after either, so medicines and rhythm checks may still be needed.
During AF, blood can collect in the atria and form a clot. If the clot travels to the brain, it can cause a stroke. To estimate your risk, your doctor looks at your age and health history, including any previous stroke, high blood pressure, diabetes or heart failure.
Anticoagulant medicines make blood less likely to clot. They can lower stroke risk, but they also increase the risk of bleeding. Your doctor checks kidney health, other medicines and any history of bleeding before recommending them. These medicines don't control the heartbeat, and you may still need them after treatment restores the usual rhythm.
An ECG can confirm AF if it happens during the recording. If episodes come and go, a short recording may miss them. You wear a Holter monitor to record your heartbeat over a longer period. How often you have episodes helps your doctor choose the monitor and how long to use it.
An echocardiogram is an ultrasound scan that shows the heart's chambers and valves, and how well it pumps. Blood tests may check how your thyroid and kidneys are working and measure blood cell counts, which can reveal another condition affecting the heart. Blood is taken at a separate pathology service.
You'll need a valid referral from your GP or specialist for an AF consultation. The cardiologist will ask about your symptoms and health history and look at your heart recordings. They'll then explain the results and treatment options and send their recommendations to your GP.
Consultations are privately billed. If you're eligible, Medicare pays part of the consultation fee when you have a valid referral from your GP or specialist. The clinic will confirm the amount left to pay before the visit.
Any fees for separate tests will be explained before you have them.
Heartscope cardiologists see patients at clinics in Melbourne and Queensland. If you have a referral, our team can confirm the location and appointment details.
View clinic locationsYes, with a valid referral from your GP or specialist, whether AF is suspected or already diagnosed. Hospital procedures, such as cardioversion and catheter ablation, need a separate referral and aren't performed at Heartscope clinics.
Yes. Episodes may become longer or more frequent, though this doesn't happen in the same way for everyone. Your doctor looks at this pattern alongside your symptoms, how well your heart pumps and any other health conditions. Stroke risk is checked separately.
Talk to the doctor who prescribed them before changing or stopping the medicine. Anticoagulants are prescribed according to your stroke risk, which your doctor checks separately from your symptoms. Some people still need them after treatment restores the usual rhythm.
Sudden facial drooping, arm weakness, trouble speaking, or sudden loss of vision or balance can be signs of stroke. Call triple zero (000) immediately, even if the symptoms disappear.
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