HCCA and The Senior

Learn more about AF and how anticoagulants work

Transcript

00:00if you've recently been diagnosed with atrial fibrillation this video will

00:10explain what it means and how medicines can help what is atrial fibrillation atrial

00:18fibrillation is when your heart beats in an uncoordinated way it might twitch feel

00:25out a rhythm or make you lightheaded this happens when random electrical signals occur in the top

00:33chambers of your heart this causes your heart to beat irregularly clots can form in the heart and

00:40be really serious that's because there is a chance that the clot can travel to your brain and cause a

00:47stroke a stroke happens when the clot blocks a blood vessel that supplies blood and oxygen to

00:53the brain and this is very serious because it could cause damage to your brain or even death

01:00if you have untreated atrial fibrillation your risk of a stroke increases by five times how do you stop

01:09the clots to help prevent this your doctor might prescribe a medicine that can slow down the process

01:16of forming a clot these are called anticoagulants anticoagulants work by slowing down or preventing

01:26clots from forming move along this way please single file break it up there's nothing to see so by

01:33preventing or slowing down the clot from forming in the heart it stops it from traveling to the brain and

01:39causing a stroke are there any risks medicines come with risks as well as benefits and if you're

01:48taking anticoagulants it's important to know that if you have a cut it might bleed for longer this is

01:55because anticoagulants slow down the process of forming a clot so you might need to apply pressure for

02:04longer you might also find that you bruise more easily and if you have any bleeding that seems

02:12heavy or unusual make sure you seek medical attention for example nosebleeds that won't stop

02:19coughing up and vomiting blood or finding blood in urine or stools you should also seek attention for

02:27bruising that gets worse or sudden headaches so yes by taking anticoagulants there is a risk of

02:35bleeding and bruising but the benefits of preventing a stroke are far greater so what happens if I don't

02:43take anticoagulants it's really important to take anticoagulants for atrial fibrillation the way

02:52they've been prescribed by your doctor remember untreated atrial fibrillation increases your risk

02:58of stroke by five times it's also linked to one in ten deaths and over two hundred thousand

03:05hospitalizations every year I hope you understand why taking your medicines is so important as you can

03:12see not taking them can have serious consequences don't stop your anticoagulants unless your doctor

03:19tells you I hope you found this information helpful