Super-ager?
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Here's what jumped out at me:
"Biden has a slight arrhythmia common of his age and is taking an anti-coagulant."
What, exactly, is a "mild" arrhythmia. The only arrhythmia that would necessitate the use of anti-coagulants is atrial fibrillation.
Quick physiology lesson: In A-Fib, the atria are quivering with no real contractions occurring. Because of this, they are little more than sacs which serve as a conduit to the ventricles, which then pump blood to the lungs and body. The flow of blood through the atria is not normal, and there are some areas in which the blood moves slowly, or not at all. Blood that doesn't move clots, hence the need for anti-coagulants. The complications of "throwing a clot" from the atria are serious, and can result in anything from occlusion of an artery to a limb, the bowel, or, of course, the brain, resulting in a stroke.
This is a serious condition. The fact that he's on anti-coagulants indicates that they have tried, and failed, to shock the atria into normal contraction. I don't offhand, remember the statistics for successful "cardioversion" but my experience giving anesthesia for this procedure was that about 25% had an unsuccessful outcome, and needed to be anti-coagulated.
The other problem with A-fib is that "preloading" of the ventricle doesn't happen, and the effectiveness of the heart is reduced, the heart only functions at about 80-85% of its usual efficiency.
Here's a nice summary: https://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/atrial-fibrillation/afib-complications
As I said, this is a serious condition.
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/atrial-fibrillation/symptoms-causes/syc-20350624
The risk of a stroke in atrial fibrillation depends on your age (you have a higher risk as you age) and on whether you have high blood pressure, diabetes, a history of heart failure or a previous stroke, and other factors. Certain medications, such as blood thinners, can greatly lower your risk of a stroke or the damage to other organs caused by blood clots.
It's not uncommon to see A-fib occur during heart surgery after the heart is restarted. This is something we never, EVER, wanted to leave the OR with. In a tenuous patient, the 15% reduction in cardiac output is something we didn't want to deal with.
"Slight," my ass, but what do I know, right?
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Since 2003, Biden has had episodes of atrial fibrillation, a type of irregular heartbeat that's potentially serious but treatable.
His doctor now describes the atrial fibrillation as 'persistent.' O'Connor cited a list of tests that show the candidate's heart is functioning normally and his only needed care is a blood thinner to prevent the most worrisome risk, blood clots or stroke.
AF is the most common type of heart arrhythmia, affecting up to 6.1 million Americans. It occurs when the heart’s two upper chambers (the atria) develop chaotic electrical signals. This causes the atria to squeeze very quickly in a disorganized rhythm and get out of sync with the two lower chambers (the ventricles).
AF causes blood to pool in the heart, which may cause blood clots. If a clot travels to an artery in the brain, a stroke can result. Up to 20 percent of strokes occur in people with AF. Similarly, if a clot obstructs one of the arteries that supply the heart, the result can be a heart attack. People with AF are also at increased risk for heart failure, dementia and sudden cardiac death, particularly if their disorder goes undiagnosed and untreated.
