Tests for atrial fibrillation
My doctor has told me that I have will have to undergo some tests to check to see whether I have atrial fibrillation. What will this involve?
There are several diagnostic tests.
• Your heart may be checked by a standard resting ECG or one taken over 24 hours.
• A chest X-ray may be taken.
• A scan (echocardiogram) can be performed to check the heart valves and muscle pump.
• Blood may be taken for routine checks and to make sure that your thyroid gland is all right.
In some cases, atrial fibrillation may be part of an illness which needs surgery, such as mitral valve replacement, and X-rays of the heart (cardiac catheterisation) will be performed before you have to undergo surgery.
You may undergo electrophysiological tests (EPS) studies if you have rapid palpitations which cannot be caught on tape, or if you have potentially dangerous palpitations and have palpitations that refuse to respond to safe and normally effective tablets. The reason for these studies is the technique of cardiac ablation.
