Atrial Fibrillation (AFib)

Atrial fibrillation, often shortened to AFib or AF, is a heart rhythm problem where the two upper chambers of the heart (the atria) beat fast and out of sync with the lower chambers. People may feel a fluttering or pounding heartbeat, shortness of breath, dizziness, or chest discomfort. Some people have no symptoms at all, which is why AFib is sometimes found only during a routine exam.

The main danger is not the fluttering itself. Because the atria are not squeezing blood out properly, blood can pool and form clots, and a clot that travels to the brain can cause a stroke. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute says AFib affects more than 2 million adults in the United States and is one of the most common types of irregular heart rhythm. The risk rises with age.

AFib shows up in litigation in two main ways. First, product liability claims sometimes allege that a drug or supplement caused or worsened an irregular heart rhythm and that the label did not warn about it. Second, AFib is often the reason a patient takes blood thinners (anticoagulants), and bleeding injuries from those drugs have been the subject of mass tort cases. In both situations, a person usually needs medical records showing the diagnosis, the timing relative to the product, and a doctor's view on the cause.

These cases are almost always handled as individual claims or a mass tort rather than a class action, because each patient's health history is different. If you think a medication played a role in a heart rhythm problem, keep your prescription records and pharmacy receipts. A free case review can tell you whether independent attorneys are taking cases like yours.