Dr Boon Lim - Consultant Cardiologist London
Atrial Flutter vs Atrial Fibrillation
Atrial flutter and atrial fibrillation (AFib) are two types of abnormal heart rhythm. Both conditions can make your heart beat too.
The symptoms are often similar—mainly palpitations and lightheadedness.
Atrial flutter occurs when an extra or early beat starts an abnormal electrical impulse that moves around the right atrium in a circular loop.A person's heartbeat tends to be rapid but regular during atrial flutter.
In atrial fibrillation (or afib), the roaming electrical impulses randomly trigger the AV node, leading to a fast and irregular heartbeat.
The main difference between the two is that atrial flutter often can be cured with radiofrequency ablation, a procedure that destroys the tiny area generating the abnormal electrical impulse but this is not so in atrial fibrillation because of difficulty in locating and destroying all the trouble spots triggering the AV node to cause fast and irregular heartbeat
Atrial Flutter vs Atrial Fibrillation
Atrial flutter and atrial fibrillation (AFib) are two types of abnormal heart rhythm. Both conditions can make your heart beat too.
The symptoms are often similar—mainly palpitations and lightheadedness.
Atrial flutter occurs when an extra or early beat starts an abnormal electrical impulse that moves around the right atrium in a circular loop.A person's heartbeat tends to be rapid but regular during atrial flutter.
In atrial fibrillation (or afib), the roaming electrical impulses randomly trigger the AV node, leading to a fast and irregular heartbeat.
The main difference between the two is that atrial flutter often can be cured with radiofrequency ablation, a procedure that destroys the tiny area generating the abnormal electrical impulse but this is not so in atrial fibrillation because of difficulty in locating and destroying all the trouble spots triggering the AV node to cause fast and irregular heartbeat