1Recognizing September 2013 as "Non-valvular Atrial Fibrillation
2Awareness Month" in Pennsylvania.

3WHEREAS, Atrial fibrillation, or A-fib, is the most common
4type of cardiac arrhythmia; and

5WHEREAS, A-fib may cause no symptoms, but it is often
6associated with palpitations, fainting, chest pain or congestive
7heart failure; and

8WHEREAS, The American College of Cardiology (ACC), American
9Heart Association (AHA) and the European Society of Cardiology
10(ESC) established an A-fib classification system which is
11defined by episode timing and termination and includes first
12detected A-Fib, paroxysmal A-fib, persistent A-fib and permanent
13A-fib; and

14WHEREAS, ACC, AHA and ESC guidelines describe additional
15categories of A-fib which are defined in terms of other
16characteristics and include lone A-fib, secondary A-fib and non-

1valvular A-fib (NVAF); and

2WHEREAS, According to the ACC, AHA and ESC, NVAF makes up
3approximately 95% of atrial fibrillation cases and affects more
4than 5 million people in the nation; and

5WHEREAS, According to the Framingham Study, AHA and the
6National Stroke Association, individuals with NVAF have five
7times greater risk of stroke and about 15% of strokes is due to
8A-fib; and

9WHEREAS, According to the National Center for Biotechnology
10Information, stroke is the fourth leading cause of death among
11Hispanics and the National Institute of Neurological Disorders
12and Stroke has found that Hispanics have a higher rate of
13strokes at a younger age than Caucasians; and

14WHEREAS, In 2010, the total cost of cardiovascular diseases
15in the United States was estimated at $444 billion and treatment
16of these diseases accounts for about $1 of every $6 spent on
17health care in this country according to the Centers for Disease
18Control; and

19WHEREAS, As of 2010, NVAF alone cost an estimated $6.65
20billion per year, including the costs of hospitalization,
21inpatient and outpatient physician care, office visits and
22emergency department visits; and

23WHEREAS, NVAF is a serious health issue deserving attention
24from State health officials; and

25WHEREAS, Increased community awareness of the signs and
26symptoms related to NVAF can improve patient outcomes before
27suffering from devastating consequences; therefore be it

28RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives recognize the
29harmful effects of non-valvular atrial fibrillation and
30recognize September 2013 as "Non-valvular Atrial Fibrillation

1Awareness Month" in Pennsylvania, and urge all citizens to
2support the need for non-valvular atrial fibrillation awareness
3and education regarding the risks posed by NVAF and the
4availability of treatment options.