DEFINITION
 |
Atrial Fibrillation is the most common cardiac arrhythmia. It occurs when the electrical impulse originated in the atria breaks up in hundreds of impulses per minute. As a consequence, the atria's activation is chaotic and their contraction is disorganized. That's what the experts call "vermicular contraction", because it reminds us of the movement of worms. This irregular contraction of the atria doesn't allow the heart to work properly: in other words, blood is not pumped efficiently and it staunches in the upper cardiac chambers, with the risk of blood clots (thrombi) and thrombo-embolic events - especially strokes.
Besides, of all the impulses originating in the atria, some go down to the ventricles at variable intervals, causing an increase of the heart rate and an irregular ventricular rhythm. It's that sensation called palpitations. |
 |
More about the
STOP FA
campaign!
Watch the Educational Video
Join our newsletter
