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Recent News and Articles on the Keywords: atrial + flutter + fibrillation  Related to the article below (Last Update: 8/5/2008)

InjuryBoard.com Digitek Maker Recalling Generics While Digitek Cases Climb InjuryBoard.com, FL - Digitek is used to treat congestive heart failure, atrial fibrillation and atrial flutter (irregular heartbeat). Digitek is one of the cardiac (or ... Left Atrial Reservoir Function as a Potent Marker for First Atrial ... Cardiosource, DC - Jul 17, 2008 New AF developed in 30 subjects (5.2%; AF in 28, atrial flutter in 2) over a mean follow-up of 1.9 ? 1.2 year. Patients with and without new AF were similar ... Can sodium nitroprusside reduce the risk of atrial fibrillation ... TheHeart.Org, NY - Jul 17, 2008 Atrial tachyarrhythmia?usually atrial fibrillation or atrial flutter?is a common complication following cardiac surgery and is associated with hemodynamic ... Supraventricular Tachycardia After Orthotopic Cardiac Transplantation Cardiosource, DC - Jul 8, 2008 Results: These investigators found that the most common arrhythmia was atrial flutter, which occurred in 9% of this cohort. Persistent or paroxysmal atrial ... Device gets to heart of matter Daily Democrat, CA - Aug 3, 2008 ... rushed him to the N. Cottonwood Street hospital, where Glatter and other doctors discovered that he had a rapid heart rhythm known as "atrial flutter. ... Sanofi-aventis News PR Newswire (press release), NY - Jul 31, 2008 ... or atrial flutter, thereby meeting the trial's primary endpoint. For the first time in twenty years of pharmaceutical research in atrial fibrillation, ...SNY Using Heparin After Cardioembolic Stroke Increases Risk Of Severe ... WebWire (press release), GA - Jul 15, 2008 Cardioembolic stroke is a stroke caused by a clot traveling from the heart, which can occur in patients with atrial fibrillation (a flutter or abnormal ... Functional Status After Operation for Ebstein Anomaly: The Mayo ... Cardiosource, DC - Jul 28, 2008 Thirty-six percent of patients reported a previous episode of atrial fibrillation or flutter, and 2% reported previous endocarditis. ... TNF-alpha hints at risk-stratification role in chronic heart failure TheHeart.Org, NY - Jul 25, 2008 Comorbidities were prevalent; 29% had chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), 53% were anemic, and 32% had atrial fibrillation or flutter. ... Doctors in Italy learn procedure by watching Hall doctors live via ... Gainesville Times, GA - Jul 11, 2008 The case they presented on July 1 involved a patient who had atrial flutter, in which the heart beats too fast, but not as irregularly as with fibrillation. ...

Atrial Fibrillation and Atrial Flutter

Atrial fibrillation or flutter is a condition in which electrical charges in the heart are sent very rapidly to the upper chambers, causing them to contract rapidly. Some of the electrical impulses stimulate the lower chambers of the heart (ventricles), causing them to pump faster and less efficiently than normal.

The fast contractions can be either intermittent or sustained. The contractions happen so quickly the walls of the heart quiver. If the rhythm is irregular, the pumping of the ventricles also becomes irregular (atrial fibrillation). If the rhythm of the upper chambers (atria) is regular but the rhythm of the lower chambers is either regular or irregular, it is called atrial flutter.

Because the node that conducts electrical currents to the chambers of the heart is unable to conduct electrical impulses at such a fast rate, only some of the impulses get through to the ventricles. The ventricles beat more slowly than the atria.

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During atrial fibrillation or flutter, the atria do not completely pump blood into the ventricles. Eventually, some of the blood in the atria starts to stagnate and clot. If these clots break up or break off, they may pass into the left ventricle, travel through the blood stream and block a smaller artery. If this happens in the brain, it can cause a stroke.

The ventricles pump so fast that they do not completely fill up with blood. The heart is not pumping efficiently, blood pressure may fall and heart failure can occur.

Symptoms for atrial fibrillation or flutter depend on how fast the ventricles are beating. If it goes up to less than 120 beat a minute, there may be no symptoms. If the rate is higher, heart palpitations or discomfort in the chest may be present.

Other symptoms may include:

• An irregular, fast pulse if experiencing atrial fibrillation
• A regular, fast pulse if experiencing atrial flutter
• A feeling of weakness
• Dizziness or faintness
• Shortness of breath
• Chest pain, especially in older adults
• Rarely, blood pressure may fall causing shock. This usually only occurs in people having atrial fibrillation or flutter who also have very severe heart disease.

Although atrial fibrillation or flutter may occur even without other signs of heart disease, most often it is caused by conditions such as rheumatic fever, high blood pressure, coronary artery disease, alcohol abuse, an overactive thyroid gland (hyperthyroidism) or a birth defect of the heart.

Rheumatic fever (which leads to heart valve disorders) and high blood pressure cause the atria to enlarge, making atrial fibrillation or flutter more likely.

Atrial fibrillation and atrial flutter are more common among older people.

Symptoms may suggest the presence of atrial fibrillation or flutter. If so, the doctor may order an electrocardiogram to confirm it.

When a person is having atrial fibrillation or flutter, the first step in treatment is slow the beating of the ventricles so that the heart can pump blood more effectively, often with digoxin. Other drugs may be needed, including a beta-blocker (propranolol or atenol) or a calcium channel blocker (verapamil or diltiazem). Drugs to prevent clots from forming may also be given.

While the fibrillation or flutter may correct itself, often steps must be taken to bring the rhythm back to normal. Frequently, even after the heart rate has been returned to normal or the patient is given drugs to help control the rhythm, the fibrillation or flutter returns.

Returning the heart to a normal rhythm becomes more difficult the longer that the condition has been present, the more enlarged the upper chambers of the heart become and the worse the underlying heart disease is.

Other treatment approaches include:

• Delivering an electrical shock to the heart is the most effective measure. To prevent the risk of a blood clot, a person may need to take drugs to prevent clots for four weeks before this procedure. The patient's doctor must balance the risk of uncontrolled bleeding against the need to prevent clots.
• Radiofrequency ablation
• Some drugs (amiodarone, propafenone or sotalol)
• Treatment of the underlying disorder, such as treating an overactive thyroid gland or performing surgery to repair a heart valve or birth defect of the heart