Atrial Fibrillation (AFib), the most common type of heart arrhythmia, affects more than 2 million people in the United States.

Because of the commonality and the diverse treatment options of the condition, Care New England Cardiovascular Care along with the Brigham and Women’s Cardiovascular Associates at Care New England will host the Second Annual Atrial Fibrillation Community Forum May 28.

An arrhythmia is an irregular heartbeat, and AFib is characterized as a typically rapid and irregular rhythm of the heart’s two upper chambers.

Care New England has expanded cardiovascular care through a clinical affiliation with Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston.

As Jim Beardsworth, director of marketing and public relations for Kent Hospital, explains, Care New England is dedicated to providing expert care “as close to home as possible.”

Bruce A. Koplan, MD, MPH, director of the cardiac arrhythmia service for Care New England and a member of the Brigham and Women’s Cardiovascular Associates at Care New England, said that the “vast majority of cardiac procedures,” around 80 percent, can be done on site at one of Care New England’s hospitals, and although they cannot perform open heart surgery they can do everything right up to it.

Prior to 2012 Kent Hospital was not able to perform implants, such as pacemakers and defibrillators, or catheter procedures, but since then Koplan said there have been 200 catheter and 300 implant procedures performed.

Koplan, a cardiac electrophysiologist, consider himself a “heart electrician” and his focus on arrhythmias is a “sub-sub specialty” of cardiology.

As Koplan explained, the heart is like a pump that runs on an electrical system, which organizes the rhythm and sequence of pumping. Sometimes this system can misfire, creating a heartbeat that is too fast or slow.

“This can cause an array of medical problems from being just a nuisance, such as shortness of breath or palpitations, or even as drastic as sudden death,” Koplan said.

Beardsworth compared this to when you have too many electronics going on in a home and a fuse blows.

“It needs to be fixed to flow right, so the electric system is redirected and reprogrammed properly. The reality is a lot of patients get their lives back with these procedures.”

Patients with an AFib condition can have an increased risk of stroke and other complications from their diagnosis and part of the community forum is so patients can become educated not only on their conditions but the varying treatment options available to them.

Koplan said, “The reality is that this diagnosis can be emotional and distressing for yourself and your family, and this is a way to be educated and relieve some of the fear. With improved education we can improve the quality of life.”

Last year, over 200 people attended the forum, and Beardsworth said the public appreciated the opportunity to meet doctors in a “casual, enjoyable, not to talk on a layman’s level.”

Koplan and his colleagues will be speaking at the event and afterwards there will be a Q&A session for attendees.

The Annual Atrial Fibrillation Community Forum will be Thursday, May 28 from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Crowne Plaza Hotel. The event is free to the public and includes dinner. Participants are encouraged to bring a guest.

For more information or to register, contact Sue Bartos at Sbartos@kentri.org or call 737-7000, x31650. For more information on Care New England’s cardiovascular programs visit www.carenewengland.org/cardiology.

@C_Cutline:WHAT’S UP DOC?: Bruce Koplan MD, MPH, director of the cardiac arrhythmia service for Care New England and a member of the Brigham and Women’s Cardiovascular Associates at Care New England, stands in front of one of the cardiology labs at Kent Hospital. Because Afib is the most common arrhythmia condition, he wanted to hold a forum so patients and the public with the condition can get informed on treatment options.