ATRIAL FLUTTER MOVIE

The right and left border of the mapping array are oriented towards the high and low RA, respectively.

ATRIAL FLUTTER MOVIE

Medications to control the heart rhythm, called antiarrhythmics, may be less effective than catheter ablationįor more information about arrhythmias and their tests and treatments, visit the arrhythmias page or the Johns Hopkins Electrophysiology and Arrhythmia Service.The pattern of activation at the high RA is even more complex, as multiple wavefronts propagate in opposite directions ( Supplemental Movie 2). If it persists, your doctor may pursue any of the following treatments:Ĭatheter ablation - procedure to destroy the errant electrical pathways performed together with an electrophysiological studyĬardioversion - small, controlled shock to the chest done under anesthesia to provide short-term correction of the heart rhythm Sometimes, atrial flutter goes away by itself and no further action is needed. Fine wires inside the catheter can help pinpoint the abnormal signal. If the diagnosis is still in question, your doctor may recommend a Holter monitor, an event monitor or an electrophysiological study, during which a narrow, flexible tube called a catheter is threaded through a vein to your heart under light sedation. If the heart beats very quickly over a long period of time, it may lead to cardiomyopathy, a weakening of the heart muscle.Ītrial flutter is normally diagnosed in your physician's office using an electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG). If a blood clot travels from the heart into the bloodstream, it could become lodged in an artery and cause a stroke. What are the complications of atrial flutter?īlood left to pool in the upper chambers after an inefficient heartbeat increases the risk of clot formation. Prior catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation Most types of atypical atrial flutter can also be treated with catheter ablation, but the procedure is longer and more involved.Ītrial flutter may cause no symptoms at all, or they may cause any of the following:Ītrial flutter is usually an age-related arrhythmia because it rarely occurs before the age of 50 but then becomes more common. This type of atrial flutter can be cured with a short outpatient catheter ablation procedure.Ītypical atrial flutter refers to atrial flutter arising in the left atrium. Typical atrial flutter is localized to the right atrium. While the symptoms are similar, the treatments may differ. What are the different types of atrial flutter?Ītrial flutter is classified as typical or atypical (non-typical) depending on the location of the short circuit - the pathway that allows the electrical signal to move too fast around the heart. A normal heart rate is between 60 and 100 beats per minute.

For example, a 2:1 block means that for every two beats in the atria, the ventricles beat once.Īn arrhythmia centered in the upper chambers of the heart is called a supraventricular tachycardia (SVT), literally 'fast heartbeat above the ventricles.' Note that when you feel your pulse - for example, at your wrist or neck - you are feeling the beat of the left ventricle as it pumps blood to your arteries. The rate is based on the ratio of atrial beats to ventricular beats. The ventricles (lower chambers) also beat faster, though not usually quite as fast. Rapid contractions prevent the chambers from filling completely between beats. During atrial flutter, the short circuit - a circular electrical pathway - allows the electrical impulse to quickly move around the right atrium, causing between 240 and 340 contractions per minute. What happens during atrial flutter?Ī normal heartbeat begins with an electrical impulse from the sinus node, a small area in the heart's right atrium (right upper chamber). Atrial flutter is important not only because of its symptoms but because it can cause a stroke that may result in permanent disability or death. It occurs when a short circuit in the heart causes the upper chambers (atria) to pump very rapidly. Atrial flutter is a type of abnormal heart rhythm, or arrhythmia.