AFIB and Sleep Apnea - linkage?

The electrophysiologist and the sleep doctor agree that Sleep Apnea causes, or at least exacerbates Atrial Fibrillation. Do many of you have AFIB?

My AFIB showed up four years after I was diagnosed with sleep apnea. The AFIB was discovered when I had a severe asthma attack I couldn't get under control. The AFIB only shows up during asthma attacks and when I am using albuterol.

I do not have AFIB; although my sleep doctor and regular doctor told me the same thing you were told about it. Sounds like the medical community agrees there is a link between AFIB and sleep apnea. I'm hoping for the best and that I don't get it. I have three family members on my wife's side who have AFIB, but not sleep apnea. So maybe it is just more commonly diagnosed now? Is AFIB an electrical issue with heart?

Max46 wrote: ↑

Sun Oct 29, 2023 8:32 am

The electrophysiologist and the sleep doctor agree that Sleep Apnea causes, or at least exacerbates Atrial Fibrillation. Do many of you have AFIB?

Why do you ask?

Anyone who has AFIB should always use their CPAP and make sure it is working effectively. I know people whose AFIB went away after they started using CPAP. They wore a Holter Monitor for a few days to make sure.

I was diagnosed with apnea and afib at my welcome to Medicare exam.
I have worn a Holter Monitor several times to verify I have constant, silent afib. I only notice it on rare occasions. I do now recognize that I had apnea for years before I was diagnosed, and afib for at least a year or 2 before I was diagnosed.
I allow my wife to do all the worrying about my medical issues. I don't have the time or energy to worry.
I do take some mandatory steps to deal with medical issues, I just don't worry.

FWIW:
Here's the theory:
Airway obstructions will cause the nervous system to react (gasping, awakening, arousals etc) in an attempt to correct the problem.
This stimulation of the nervous system is not just confined to the throat, lungs etc but is reflected in many other systems throughout the body, including the heart.
Of particular interest is that the nerves that control the musculature of the pulmonary veins are stimulated during an obstruction.

Cardiologists and electrophysiologists (heart electricians) generally agree that the location of the start of an Afib episode is the unwanted (or unnecessary) stimulation of the nerves at the juncture of the pulmonary veins and the left atrium. These signals cause the left atrium to respond by contracting, out of the natural Sinus node rhythm. Hence they are ectopic signals. The problem with these ectopics is that in the heart they tend to be self-perpetuating. (that is to say that one ectopic can create several more, and so forth. Doctors have likened it to one lighted firecracker thrown into a fireworks storage area.

If medication cannot do the job of preventing these pulmonary veins nerves signals reaching the atrial heart muscle, then the next step is to "cauterize" or ablate the nerve pathways from the pulmonary veins to the left atrium.

That is why many doctors many say that Obstructive airway "causes" Atrial Fibrillation. It may not be a truly accurate statement, perhaps a better statement is that OA is potentially contributing factor to AFIB

(BTW, the stroke risk associated with OA has more to do with blood clots and AFIB, because AFIB presents a much greater risk of a brain blood clot then OA alone.)

Anyway, that's the theory of OA/AFIB connection that I was given by several "heart docs".

Just curious - when did you get the OK to speak for Cpap.com (the red line at the end of your notes)?

Julie wrote: ↑

Mon Oct 30, 2023 3:19 pm

Just curious - when did you get the OK to speak for Cpap.com (the red line at the end of your notes)?

Good catch, Julie!

Julie wrote: ↑

Mon Oct 30, 2023 3:19 pm

Just curious - when did you get the OK to speak for Cpap.com (the red line at the end of your notes)?

My signature line simply repeats the disclaimer that appears at the bottom of each cpaptalk window. Not my words, the words of the host.
Did you have an on-topic comment?

Julie wrote: ↑

Mon Oct 30, 2023 3:19 pm

Just curious - when did you get the OK to speak for Cpap.com (the red line at the end of your notes)?

all part of a controlling nature as is his response.

Sigh...get back on topic please.
Future chit chat about a response that is clearly off topic will be promptly removed.

Don't even say so much as you agree with me or thank you or go jump in the lake.

@ Dataq,
Thanks for that explanation, it mirrors what my doctors have told me, but you added a bit more detail.
I went to my cardiologist, who referred me to an electro-doc. One of the first things my electro-doc did was to order a sleep study and it showed that I had mild apnea. I'd never been tested before. Now a year after using the cpap, my AFIB has calmed down significantly.
Remarkable how the body's systems work (or don't) together !

My doc told me to do a sleep study after I went into AFib while knocked out for cataract surgery. I haven't had AFib again, and likely I won't again due to using my pap machine. There is definitely a correlation.

My brother had a procedure done by an heart surgeon specialist in ablation.
Sometimes it is possible to correct "faulty wiring".

chunkyfrog wrote: ↑

Tue Oct 31, 2023 6:16 pm

Sometimes it is possible to correct "faulty wiring".

Wish your brother well, In the ablation technique the surgeon kills (by intense heat or intense freezing) heart tissue so that the electrical signals can't pass into the atria from the veins. The biggest drawback so far is that the surgeon cannot see where these nerve pathways are so it can be a hit or miss proposition.

We are currently CAREFULLY exploring the world of catheter ablation and treatment alternatives.

@ dataq1- the risk of blood clot - stroke is significantly greater with AFIB then just OSA alone, this was reiterated by my heart guys. And they felt that untreated OSA carried a high risk of AFIB development with it's follow-on stroke risk. One thing leads to another!