Godfather Director Hospitalised In Italy For Atrial Fibrillation Procedure: How Serious Is His Condition?

After media reports surfaced about his hospitalisation, Coppola, 86, who is known for his greatest contribution to cinema with The Godfather and Apocalypse Now, took to Instagram on Tuesday to share his health updates.

A popular filmmaker and director, Francis Ford Coppola, has tragically been hospitalised in Rome, Italy, on Tuesday morning after a scheduled treatment, following his six-city US tour ahead of his upcoming release, Megalopolis.

Francis Ford Coppola Hospitalised For Heart Issues

After media reports surfaced about his hospitalisation, Coppola, 86, who is known for his greatest contribution to cinema with The Godfather and Apocalypse Now, took to Instagram on Tuesday to share his health updates.

In the caption, he writes, "Da Dada (what my kids call me) is fine, taking an opportunity while in Rome to do the update of my 30-year-old Atrial Fibrillation (Afib) procedure with its inventor, a great Italian doctor - Dr. Andrea Natale! I am well!"

"I'm 85, I lost my wife a year ago, around this time. But my attitude toward death is that I always lived my life so that when I was at the moment approaching death, I wouldn't say, 'Oh, I wish I had done this and I wish I had done that.' Instead, I say to myself, 'I got to do this,'" the filmmaker told a leading media outlet.

"I got to see my daughter win an Oscar. I got to see my father win an Oscar. I'm going to be so busy saying all the things I got to do that when I die, I'm not going to notice it," he added. "When I die, I'm not going to notice it. You know how your electric toothbrush just shuts off when you least expect it? That's what death is like."

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Francis Ford Coppola (@francisfordcoppola)

What Is Atrial Fibrillation (Afib)?

Atrial Fibrillation, also known as Afib, is a medical condition in which the upper chamber of a person's heart beats irregularly and rapidly. According to the National Institute of Health (NIH), Afib can lead to cardiac causes of stroke.

Any medical condition that leads to inflammation, stress, damage or even ischemia, affecting the anatomy of your heart, can result in the development of Afib.

Risks Associated With Atrial Fibrillation (Afib)

Afib is mostly associated with cardiovascular diseases, but according to NIH, other conditions can also contribute to the development of Atrial Fibrillation. Here are eleven encountered causes:

1. Advanced age.
2. Congenital heart disease.
3. Increased alcohol consumption
4. Hypertension
5. Genetic factors
6. Obstructive sleep apnea
7. Inflammation of the heart muscles and tissues surrounding the heart
8. Neurological disorders, such as subarachnoid haemorrhage or stroke
9. Endocrine disorders, such as diabetes, pheochromocytoma, and hyperthyroidism
10. Hemodynamic stress, such as mitral or tricuspid valve disease, left ventricular dysfunction, or pulmonary embolism
11. Underlying heart diseases like valvular disease, coronary artery disease, structural heart disease, and atrial ischemia.

Treatment For Atrial Fibrillation (Afib)

"Although atrial fibrillation may be a permanent disease, various treatments and risk-modifying strategies have been developed to help reduce the risk of stroke in patients who remain in atrial fibrillation," NIH states. "Treatments include anticoagulation, rate control medication, rhythm control medication, cardioversion, ablation, and other interventional cardiac procedures.

Follow TheHealthSite.com for all the latest health news and developments from around the world.