Understand the Electrical Storm of Atrial Fibrillation

Introduction

By:

      Uriah Millen

This Webquest is designed with the goal of providing nurses with information about pathophysiology, causes, symptoms, diagnosis and management of atrial fibrillation in order to effectively educate patients on this condition.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a major health problem that affects more than 2 million Americans adults. It is becoming incrreasingly common as the population ages, with over 150,000 new cases being diagnosed each year. Some estimates reveal that approximately 4% of the population over 65 years of age and nearly 11% of individuals over 80 years of age are affected.

AF is involves a total disorganization of the electrical activity in the upper chambers of the heart which results in the heart beating irregularly. When this happens, the atria are no longer able to contract effectively and the heart does not pump efficiently. This can cause other symptoms such as fatigue, shortness of breath, anxiety, chest pain, dizziness and even fainting. Most of these symptoms are related to how fast the heart is beating.

While this heart rhythm dysfunction may not be fatal, there are many life-threatening complications associated with this condition including stroke and heart failure. The goal of treatment is the restoration of a normal sinus rhythm where possible or control of the heart rate (i.e. the response of the ventricles to the hundreds of impulses sent by the atria). Nurses who are knowledgeable about the condition can be more effective in treating the patients response to this illness.

Task

 

After reviewing the information presented here, nurses will be able to:

1. Apply information from the internet on atrial fibrillation to better understand the condition

2.  Describe the mechanical events associated with AF with respect to cardiac anatomy and typical features of this dysrhythmia

3. Identify the causes and symptoms associated with the condition.

4. Identify the diagnostic approach to understanding the causes of AF

5. Discuss the treatment strategies for AF

Because AF is such a common condition with a propensity to cause significant debilitating complication, nurses should be able to recognize this common dysrhythmia, understand its etiology and pathophysiology, and educate patients about available treatment options and management strategies.

Nurses will be expected to review the web resources on the process link page to meet the objectives of this WebQuest lesson plan. The sites have been thoroughly researched and vetted and will provide the necessary information required to meet the goal of the assignment. Some of the questions that will be answered as nurses review the materials are:

1. What is atrial fibrillation

2. What are the symptoms associated with atrial fibrillation

3. How is atrial fibrillation diagnosed

4. What are the treatment goals and strategies for atrial fibrillation

Process

PROCESS

The following websites will provide useful and reliable resources to better understand and treat atrial fibrillation. These sights have been researched and contain relevant information on incidence, pathophysiology, diagnosis and management of atrial fibrillation. Nurses will review these sites and answer the questions on the task page of the WebQuest site.I especially enjoyed exploring this site because it has all you need to know about AF in an organized and user friendly manner. There are interactive tutorials for those who are more visual.

www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/atrialfibrillation.html

This American Heart association online circulation journal article  entitle “A patient’s guide to living with Atrial Fibrillation” provide information about the incidence, diagnosis and treatment.

of AF. It is very organized and keeps the information short and to the point, while providing extensive details.

Circ.ahajournals.org/content/117/20e340

This site below is linked to the US dept of health and human services. The information was provided by the National Heart, Lung and Blood institute. This site is an excellent source for exploring AF. It provides extensive information about AF, especially on the diagnosis and treatment.

www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/af/names.html

This next article is on the American Heart association website and is very organized and useful inbreaking information down into layman terms so that it can be understood. It will assist you in educating patients about the condition as well treatment goals and options

www.heart.org/HEARTORG/conditions/Arrhythmia/typeofarrhythmias/fibrilla…

Article below is from the medical journal of Australia. It has been around for 100 years and is described as Australia’s most comprehensive medical hub. The thousands of peer reviewed and research articles provided are used by medical professionals to assist them to keep abreast of the rapid changes in the medical community. The site is owned and operated by the Australian Medical Association-the equivalent of the American Medical association. This site provides current and comprehensive information about the management of AF

http://www.mja.com.au/journal/2013/199/9/update-management-atrila-fibrillation

This last site is sponsored by Mayo Clinic. This is a well trusted nonprofit, worldwide leader in medical research and education for people from all parts of life. This site provides researched data about AF that will broaden your understanding of the condition

www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/atrial-fibrillation/basics/defin…

Evaluation

THIS IS HOW THE WORK

WILL BE EVALUATED

 

Beginning
5

Developing
10

Qualified
15

Exemplary
20

Score

Demonstrate understanding of atrial fibrillation by applying information from the internet

Basic understanding is identified  and applied partially

Able to explain and apply basic knowledge fully with little complex concepts

Able to explain basic and complex concepts but missing minor details that makes it difficult to grasp

Completely explain basic and complex concepts, making information easy to understand and follow

Describe pathophysiological factors associated with AF including mechanical events of the heart

Very limited description of the pathophysiology and mechanical events in the heart during AF 

Exhibits  basic knowledge of the pathophysiology of AF and mechanical events in the heart

Able to fully describe the pathophysiology of AF but lack some information on it effect on mechanical events in the heart or vice-versa

Demonstrate complete and comprehensive understanding by the ability to explain fully the relationship between pathophysiologic factors and mechanical events

List at least five causes of atrial fibrillation 

Lists less than 4 causes of AF correctly

Able to correctly identify at least 4 causes of AF

5 causes of AF identified but only related to heart disease.

Identify 5 or more causes with 2 related to other body systems other than the heart.

List at least 5 symptoms of AF

Ability to list 3 or less correctly

Correctly list 4 symptoms of AF

 Lists 5 symptoms  while missing key elements

Successfully lists 5 or more symptoms using detailed descriptions

Discuss treatment goals and management strategies of AF

Demonstrate basic understanding with only partial explanation

Basic understanding is explained fully with some complex ideas

Ability to discuss basic and complex understanding of treatment strategies

Comprehensive understanding of treatment strategies explain using different domains of learning

     /100 points possible

Conclusion

CONCLUSION

The incidence of atrial fibrillation is increasing, making it a major public health concern. As the elderly population grows and more people survive with cardiovascular conditions, AF is expected to affect thousands more in future decades. For nurses and other members of the health care team, much more remains to be learned about this condition and the ideal treatment approach. However, strong evidence-based guidelines are available that provides information about the causes, symptoms, diagnosis and management of AF. Nurses play a critical role in supporting these strategies for reducing complications and improving function and quality of life for patients diagnosed with this condition.

Credits

 

I have benefited immensely from perusing the WebQuest assignment guide that was created by Dr Denise Passmore.Author BiographyUriah MillenI have been a Registered nurse for the past 11 years. For the past 7 years I have been working in the cardiovascular intensive care unit at St Joseph’s hospital. I will be completing my Bachelor of Science degree in nursing this summer and plan to start the Masters of Science degree in nursing next spring. I enjoyed reading up on atriial fibrillation as I created this WebQuest and willapply this knowledge to my nursing practice.