Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco have found that alcohol can be deadly for people with heart rhythm disturbances such as atrial fibrillation. This was announced in a press release on MedicalXpress.
Fibrillation disrupts the pumping of blood through the atria, which normally occurs due to the rhythmic passage of nerve impulses through muscle cells. During a failure, electrical signals begin to travel randomly through the muscle tissue, causing the heart to stop pumping blood efficiently. In the United States, atrial fibrillation affects 12 million people, and 158,000 people die each year. In addition, this condition contributes to the formation of blood clots and strokes.
The subjects underwent the standard catheter ablation procedure, which is an effective method of suppressing fibrillation. It is designed to eliminate the passage of an electrical impulse between the pulmonary veins and the left atrium. The scientists measured the refractory period required for cells to regain their ability to form an action potential.
It turned out that alcohol reduced the refractory period in the pulmonary vein by 12 milliseconds, and also contributed to its decrease in a large number of atrial areas. This increases the risk of arrhythmias, scientists say.
