What is atrial fibrillation

Atrial fibrillation is a disorder of the heart’s two small upper chambers the atria quiver instead of beating effectively. Blood isn’t pumped completely out of them, so it may pool and clot. A stroke could be the result.

http://answers.ask.com/Health/Diseases/what_is_atrial_fibrillation

Atrial fibrillation is a type of arrhythmia. With atrial fibrillation, the electrical signals in the atria (the two small chambers of the heart) are fired in a very fast and uncontrolled manner. The atria quiver instead of contract. The ele…

http://www.muschealth.com/gs/HealthTopic.aspx?action=showpage&pageid=P00198

Atrial fibrillation is where the electrical impulses within the atria become very rapid and irregular. Atrial rates are usally between 300- 400 BPM or more. How it can happen:･ 1) Electric shock ･ 2) ion imbalance within heart cells ･ 3) …

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_atrial_fibbrilation

Related Questions Answered on Y!Answers

What is the best reference source to know more about ablation of atrial fibrillation?

Q: I am a PhD student working on ablation of atrial fibrillation. I would be grateful if you could provide me with a reference source to get information about the details of ablation of atrial fibrillation. ***Please answer this if you are a medical professional or in a relevant field.

A: If you listen to azize man (N) suggestion you will know it 😉

what is the best treatment for atrial fibrillation?

Q: hi i am a student of pharmacy, does anyome know which drugs are mostly recomended to start therapy for patients with atrial fibrillationexample is Quinidine a good chioce? what doeses are usually used of class 1c, class 3 anti arrhythmics? should there be a follow up?

A: TreatmentAtrial fibrillation treatment goals include restoring the heart to normal rhythm, slowing the heart rate and preventing blood clots. Treatment options for atrial fibrillation include nonsurgical procedures, surgical procedures and medications.Nonsurgical ProceduresCardioversionTo correct atrial fibrillation — reset the heart to its regular rhythm (sinus rhythm) — the physician will often perform cardioversion. This can be done with drugs or electrically.Cardioversion with drugsMedications (anti-arrhythmics) are used to stop the atria’s quivering and restore normal (sinus) rhythm. The medications effectively maintain sinus rhythm for at least one year in 50 percent to 65 percent of people. However, they can cause side effects such as nausea and fatigue, as well as some long-term risks. In rare cases, the medications may actually increase the heart rate.http://www.mayoclinic.org/atrial-fibrillation/treatment.html

what is atrial fibrillation and is it serious?

Q: I recently had an ecg done due to having chest pain and shortness of breath along with palpatations and the ecg showed atrial fibrillation. i have to go for further testing and my GP has put me on a daily dose of aspirin to prevent a stroke or heart attack. I also have dextrocardia. i am only 24 and i’m very worried about this. Can anyone help?

A: AF is a failure of the normal controlling node (SA node) located in the posterior wall of the right atrium. Atrial fibrillation is by far the most commonly occurring cardiac arrhythmia. The rate heart control by the node is lost and the rate can rise dramatically.It is unfortunately not a benign condition however there are a number of ways of dealing with it. You may remember Tony Blair had surgical management while he was Prime minister. This consists of destroying the aberrant conduction pathway, allowing the SA to take over control once more.Patients can also be cardioverted, given a DC shock just as in when a defibrillator is used following a cardiac arrest.Digoxin was used for many many years to control Af it fell out of fashion, but is still used by many cardiologists.Another approach is to again ignore the abnormal rhythm and just control the rate, this is done using beta blockers.The rapid irregular rhythm allows some blood to stagnate,increasing clot risk and stroke, for this reason patients are given at least anti-platelet therapy and more recently anti-coagulated with warfarin.