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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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What Causes Swelling In The Lower Legs And Ankles While Having Atrial Fibrillation Indicate?

My mother has Afib and has been hospitalized 3 times in the last 6 months. Fluid in lung - had to be drained- diagnosed with Pluercy but they cannot find what is causing it. She has been doing great for three weeks and though she does not sound like she has any fluid in the chest or lungs she is experiencing sudden serious pain after taking one of her breathing treatments. She lives at home by herself and house a nurse come in 3 days a week to take vital, etc. She also has some swelling in her lower legs, feet and ankles. Temp is 99.8 and BP was 124 over 88. and heart rate was 85. Can you tell me what could be happening?
Mon, 9 Apr 2018
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Internal Medicine Specialist,  's  Response
Hello and welcome,

She is highly likely having congestive heart failure (CHF). CHF is a clinical syndrome when the heart is unable to meet the body’s circulatory demands. from atrial fibrillation. Variety of heart diseases can cause CHF such as atrial fibrillation, hypertension etc.
Leg swelling is typical for CHF and patients also develop pleural effusions.
She should have initially brain natriuretic peptide level (BNP) obtained. Increased BNP shows fluid overload. Certain medications (e.g. calcium channel blocker) may also cause leg swelling, and increased BNP excludes medication side effects.
Transthoracic echocardiogram should be performed to distinguish systolic vs diastolic dysfunction, evaluate structural changes and heart performance.
Treatment depends on the pathological condition of the heart which caused CHF. Overall treatment includes beta blockers, diuretics and ACE inhibitors.

I hope the above information will be helpful for you. Please, feel free to ask me if there is anything else you need to know.

Thank you,
Malik Amonov MD
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What Causes Swelling In The Lower Legs And Ankles While Having Atrial Fibrillation Indicate?

Hello and welcome, She is highly likely having congestive heart failure (CHF). CHF is a clinical syndrome when the heart is unable to meet the body’s circulatory demands. from atrial fibrillation. Variety of heart diseases can cause CHF such as atrial fibrillation, hypertension etc. Leg swelling is typical for CHF and patients also develop pleural effusions. She should have initially brain natriuretic peptide level (BNP) obtained. Increased BNP shows fluid overload. Certain medications (e.g. calcium channel blocker) may also cause leg swelling, and increased BNP excludes medication side effects. Transthoracic echocardiogram should be performed to distinguish systolic vs diastolic dysfunction, evaluate structural changes and heart performance. Treatment depends on the pathological condition of the heart which caused CHF. Overall treatment includes beta blockers, diuretics and ACE inhibitors. I hope the above information will be helpful for you. Please, feel free to ask me if there is anything else you need to know. Thank you, Malik Amonov MD