ATRIAL FIBRILLATION

Atria Fibrillation (A. fib) is the most common heart rhythm disturbance in our society.  A.fib increases with age. The cause is not entirely clear, but it probably is related to a number of factors.  A.fib, as the name implies, affects the atria or the upper chambers of the heart.  The job of the atria is to contract and fill the lower chambers, the ventricles, just prior to heart contraction.

A.fib is a condition in which the regular, synchronous contractions of the atria is lost.  The loss of atrial contraction means the ventricles fill with blood by the force of gravity.  If one were able to look at a heart in A. fib you would see the atria  quivering, but not contracting.  The quivering is due to each muscle bundle contracting at its own inherent rate and not in synchrony with its neighbor.  The result is a very erratic, irregular heart beat.  If you put your finger on the pulse of a patient in A. fib you would find it difficult to count the beats because some are very strong beats and others very weak.  This variable pulse is due to inadequate filling of the ventricles between beats.

A.fib is important to recognize because it carries greater risk than most heart arrhythmias.  The diagnosis is made by taking an electrocardiogram (ECG).  If you happen to notice that your heart is skipping it is important to get to the doctor so the correct diagnosis can be made.  The presence of A.fib puts you in a special category of those patients who are at a higher risk of STROKE than those that do not have A.fib.