ATRIAL FIBRILLATION (AFIB)MALIK SAAFIR

08-16-2013

THE HEART HAS FOUR CHAMBERS

WHAT MAKES THE HEART PUMP?

• The heart has electrical impulses given off by nodes. The impulse starts in the atrium, in the sinus node. This node makes the atrium contract. The electricity is passed off to the atrioventricular node, which makes the ventricle contract. This is how the heart pumps.

WHAT IS ATRIAL FIBRILLATION?

• Atrial fibrillation, more commonly known as AFIB, is a type of heart disorder called an arrhythmia.

• An arrhythmia is when the heart beats too quickly (tachycardia), too slowly (bradycardia), or to an irregular rhythm (atrial fibrillation).

• Fibrillation is when the heart vibrates because of tachycardia or bradycardia. Atrial fibrillation is when the atria quiver because of the arrhythmic impulses causing them to pump wildly.

WHAT CAUSES ATRIAL FIBRILLATION?

• When the electrical impulses begin to travel in a very high speed without rhythm (tachycardia), the atria do not pump rhythmically. This means the ventricles also pump at their own pace, apart from the atria. Since the chambers are not pumping in harmony, some blood remains in them when they pump. This creates pools of blood in the chambers, which can cause clotting.

WHAT ARE THE RESULTS OF AF?

• Atrial fibrillation can cause clotting in the heart, which means the body and brain cannot receive blood. This can cause a person to have a stroke, which is when the oxygen to the brain is cut off.

• According to medlineplus.gov, symptoms include palpitations (abnormal, rapid heartbeat), shortness of breath, weakness or difficulty exercising, chest pain, dizziness or fainting, fatigue and confusion.

WHO IS AT RISK OF ATRIAL FIBRILLATION?

• According to mayoclinic.com, those at risk are the elderly, people with heart disease, people who have high blood pressure (hypertension), those with other chronic conditions such as sleep apnea, people who drink a lot of alcohol (5 drinks in two hours for men, 4 for women), and people who have family history of atrial fibrillation.

HOW IS AFIB TREATED?

• Sometimes the patient’s disease will diminish by itself over time. If not, the patient’s physician will have to treat the root of the patient’s atrial fibrillation.

• For example, the atrial fibrillation might be caused by an overactive thyroid gland. If so, the doctor will have to either remove the gland, or destroy it with iodine radiation.

• If AFIB is caused by a heart valve disorder, the doctor may have to replace the heart valve.

SOURCES

• http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/atrialfibrillation/htm/_no_50_no_0.htm

• http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/atrialfibrillation.html

• http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/atrial-fibrillation/DS00291/DSECTION=risk-factors

• inspirations786.wordpress.com