Patient was educated on measures to prevent complications due to atrial flutter as follows:
- Maintain an ideal body weight for height. Maintain compliance with any physical exercise suggested to cut down the weight. Excess body weight can complicate any underlying cardiac conditions, such as, hypertension, congestive heart failure, which can in turn resulting in complicated atrial flutter.
- Limit intake of caffeinated drinks, such as, coffee. Limit coffee to no more than one cup a day. Excessive caffeine can result in abnormal stimulation of the cardiac tissues, leading to development of complicated atrial flutter.
- Limit intake of alcohol to no more 2 drinks in a week. This might need to be completely avoided based on the severity of the arrhythmia. Excessive alcohol can result in abnormal stimulation of the cardiac tissues, leading to development of complicated atrial flutter.
- Observe compliance with heart healthy diet, by limiting sodium intake to no more than 2 grams a day and limiting saturated fat intake. This helps to manage blood pressure at optimum levels and prevents excess fluid overload. This helps with preventing deterioration of overall cardiac status and can avoid development of complicated atrial flutter.
- Be cautious about using any potassium supplements, as potassium in the blood is maintained in a close range. Both high and low potassium levels are significant risk factors for rhythm disturbances in the heart.
