Doctors & patients are saying about 'A-Fib.com'...
"A-Fib.com is a great web site for patients, that is unequaled by anything else out there."
Dr. Douglas L. Packer, MD, FHRS, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN
"Jill and I put you and your work in our prayers every night. What you do to help people through this [A-Fib] process is really incredible."
Jill and Steve Douglas, East Troy, WI
“I really appreciate all the information on your website as it allows me to be a better informed patient and to know what questions to ask my EP.
Faye Spencer, Boise, ID, April 2017
“I think your site has helped a lot of patients.”Dr. Hugh G. Calkins, MD Johns Hopkins,
Baltimore, MD
FAQs A-Fib Drug Therapy: Clot Formation
“How long do I have to be in A-Fib before I develop a clot and have a stroke?”
When blood is stagnant and not being pumped out of the left atrium, a clot can form. When the left atrium starts beating again, this clot can be pushed downstream into the left ventricle which then pumps this clot into the legs, lungs, brain or other organs causing an ischemic stroke.
But these clots aren’t formed instantly. It takes a while for stagnant blood to pool and clot. For example, if you have a ten minute attack of A-Fib, conventional wisdom says it’s unlikely a clot will develop.
The American College of Chest Physicians recommends that anticoagulation therapy be started after two days. But not everyone is in agreement that it takes at least two days of being in A-Fib for a clot to form. Dr. Antonio Gotto in Bottom Line Health says it takes one day for a clot to form, “There’s an increased risk for stroke if the irregular heartbeat continues for more than 24 hours.” (Some doctors are of the opinion that it takes as little as 5 1/2 hours of A-Fib for a clot to develop.)
Return to FAQ Drug Therapies
Last updated: Monday, June 18, 2018
