Atrial Fibrillation

Atrial fibrillation is caused when your heart’s electrical system is not functioning properly.

This problem is not as serious as ventricular fibrillation, this occurs when your heart stops beating. When ventricular fibrillation occurs the heart has to be shocked back to life, as you have seen on TV.

Atrial fibrillation is the most common heart arrhythmia, when there is a problem with the speed in which your heart beats; it is classified as a type of arrhythmia.

AF occurs when rapid, disorganized electrical signals in the heart’s two upper chambers, called the atria (AY-tree-uh), cause them to contract very fast and irregularly (this is called fibrillation). As a result, blood pools in the atria and isn’t pumped completely into the heart’s two lower chambers, called the ventricles (VEN-trih-kuls). When this happens, the heart’s upper and lower chambers don’t work together as they should.

You can have AF without knowing it, because symptoms aren’t always noticeable. When left untreated AF can lead to more serious problems, such as a heart attack.

If you experience any irregular heartbeats or chest pains call your health care provider immediately.

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