Atrial Fibrillation

You have been told you have atrial fibrillation. Atrial fibrillation is an arrhythmia, or abnormal heart rhythm, that comes from the upper chambers of the heart. Atrial fibrillation can cause fast heart rates. Heart disease, lung disease, smoking and excessive alcohol and caffeine intake are among the causes of atrial fibrillation.

Your heart has an electrical system which causes it to contract and relax. Normally, each heart beat begins as an impulse from a group of cells, called the SA node, located in the upper right chamber of the heart. The electrical impulse travels across both upper chambers, or the atria. The atria then contract. The impulse next travels to the AV node, which is a group of cells located between the atria and the ventricles (lower chambers of the heart.) The impulse then travels through the ventricles, causing them to contract.

In atrial fibrillation, many different areas within the atria try to initiate a heart beat. Hundreds of electrical impulses flow across the atria. Instead of contracting, the atria only quiver. This causes the ventricles to contract irregularly and often faster than normal. If the ventricles contract too quickly and the heart beats too fast, you can have symptoms of light headedness, palpitations, or chest pain. You may even lose consciousness. Atrial fibrillation is not a life threatening heart rhythm. In fact, as people get older, their chances of going into this rhythm are quite high. Many people stay in this rhythm for years without suffering any ill effects from it.

Treatment
You will need to stop smoking and decrease the amounts of alcohol and caffeine you drink. Medications are often helpful in returning the heart to a normal rhythm. If the atrial fibrillation continues, you will need to take medications to prevent the heart from beating too quickly. You may also be put on a blood thinner in order to prevent clots from forming in the heart. Your doctor may also suggest cardioversion, a procedure to attempt to return the heart to a normal rhythm. Please refer to the section on cardioversion for further information.