Can atrial fibrillation lead to death? Sudden cardiac death is very common

The most common phenomenon of atrial fibrillation causing death is sudden cardiac death, which is also one of the most serious complications. If atrial fibrillation is not treated in time, it can also lead to cerebral artery embolism and heart failure, so it must be treated in time.

1. Atrial fibrillation can lead to sudden cardiac death

During rapid atrial fibrillation, the ventricular rate increases, the effective cardiac output decreases, and the coronary artery perfusion decreases, which can lead to cardiac arrest. The main causes of sudden cardiac death caused by atrial fibrillation are: atrial fibrillation with preexcitation syndrome; pulmonary embolism; acute heart failure; neurological and mental factors, etc.

Second, the complications of atrial fibrillation include

1. Cerebral artery embolism: It is one of the most common complications of atrial fibrillation. According to epidemiological statistics, the incidence of stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation is 2% to 6%. Among patients with atrial fibrillation who suffer from systemic embolism, 75% are cerebral artery embolism. The emboli of cerebral embolism mainly come from the left atrium and atrial appendage. 75% of the emboli come from the mural thrombus in the left atrium, and 25% come from the detachment of atherosclerotic plaques.

2. Peripheral arterial embolism: 80% of patients with peripheral arterial embolism have atrial fibrillation. After the thrombus attached to the heart wall of patients with atrial fibrillation breaks off, it flows with the arterial blood to the distal systemic circulation, causing acute arterial embolism.

3. Pulmonary embolism: In patients with atrial fibrillation, blood clots in the right heart break off and cause embolism of the pulmonary artery and its branches, resulting in pulmonary embolism. The mortality rate of pulmonary embolism is as high as 20% to 40%. According to statistics, there are 50,000 to 100,000 patients with pulmonary embolism in the United States each year, ranking third among causes of death in the United States.

4. Heart failure: The ventricular rate of atrial fibrillation is closely related to the patient's heart function status. When atrial fibrillation is accompanied by a rapid ventricular rate, especially when the heart function is poor, it causes a significant and sharp decrease in cardiac output, leading to insufficient perfusion of tissues and organs and acute congestion syndrome, which may be complicated by acute heart failure. Acute left heart failure is more common clinically.