More than 3 million people in the U.S. have atrial fibrillation (AFib), and yet, people often overlook – or don’t always recognize – the signs and symptoms.
One of the most common types of arrhythmia, AFib occurs when the upper and lower chambers of the heart beat out of sync. This causes poor blood flow, irregular heartbeats, fatigue, shortness of breath and, if left untreated, stroke, heart failure and death.
Hoag is hosting a What Do I Really Need to Know about Atrial Fibrillation? Community education event via livestream on Tuesday, November 9 from 5:30 – 7 p.m. with a panel of cardiac electrophysiologists, who are among the nation’s top experts in treating this condition. Moderated by Brian Chesnie, M.D., the event will feature Teferi Mitiku, M.D., program advisor of the Hoag Hospital Irvine Arrhythmia Program, as well as Rajesh Banker, M.D. and Michael Panutich, M.D.
Panelists will discuss what causes AFib, how to identify it and the various ways to treat it, including medical management of the disease and the advanced procedures offered at Hoag to correct AFib.
“Because untreated chronic AFib doubles the risk of heart-related deaths and causes up to a five-fold increased risk for stroke, it is critical that at-risk individuals seek proper diagnosis and treatment,” Dr. Mitiku said. “We hope that hosting this livestream event will help get the word out about AFib and possibly save patients’ lives.”
