For most of her life, Maria Sanabria has been affected by heart
problems, starting when her father had a heart attack in his
40s. When Sanabria, now 47, was diagnosed with atrial
fibrillation or AFib, last April, memories of her father’s
experience inflamed her fears. Like her father, she also suffers
from serious hypertension. A-Fib, which causes an irregular
heartbeat, can result in shortness of breath, lightheadedness,
heart palpitations, chest pains and extreme weakness. While some
patients feel no symptoms, severe AFib results in blood clots
that can lead to stroke. After episodes landed her in the
emergency room, Sanabria’s cardiologist tried a blood thinner,
which prevents clots from forming. It didn’t work. “I still went
into atrial fibrillation,” Sanabria says, ending up in the
emergency room and unable to work. According to the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention, more than 2.5 million people had
AFib in 2010, and as many as 12 million will have the condition
by 2050. A person can develop AFi