New AFib treatment offers hope for El Paso patients

EL PASO, TX (KVIA) -- September marks Atrial Fibrillation, or AFib, Awareness Month, local doctors are educating patients to help reduce the impacts of this common but potentially dangerous condition.

AFib is a disorganized electrical rhythm of the heart, leading to an irregular and often rapid heartbeat.

Dr. Steven Hamilton, a cardiac electrophysiologist at the Hospitals of Providence, spoke to ABC-7 and explains symptoms include palpitations, shortness of breath, dizziness, and fatigue. "It tends to become much more common as people get older and people with a lot of other medical conditions," says Hamilton.

Dr. Hamilton emphasizes that diagnosis typically involves an electrocardiogram (ECG) or another heart rhythm test. He advises anyone diagnosed with A-fib to consult with a cardiac electrophysiologist to explore treatment options.

Hamilton says that at The Hospitals of Providence they have an effective treatment option available, "There's a new energy form for ablation procedures, for pulsed frequency and it's very promising, very exciting for the field. There's some safety benefits, some efficacy benefits, and it's helping a lot of people."

Pulse frequency ablation applies pulsed frequency to restore normal heart rhythm.  

The risk of developing AFib is a concern for approximately one in four adults over 40. Hamilton says not every option is the right one for everyone and going through treatment options with your doctor is crucial.