Atrial flutter, a supraventricular arrhythmia , is one of the most common rhythm disturbances of the heart. It is characterized by a fast atrial rate with a fixed or variable ventricular rate. There are several atrial contractions to one ventricular contraction and symptoms include fatigue, palpitations, and syncope.
Read moreIs AV conduction normal in atrial flutter?
Atrial flutter is usually paroxysmal and only rarely chronic. Untreated persons with atrial flutter and no disease of the AV junction usually have a 2:1 AV conduction response with an atrial rate of about 300 beats/min and a ventricular rate of 150 beats/min. Over time, atrial flutter usually degenerates into AF.
Read moreCan you have atrial flutter and bradycardia?
Atrial flutter with atrioventricular node blockade is a potentially life-threatening cause of bradycardia and decompensation of heart failure usually seen in patients with pre-existing valvular or structural diseases and/or conduction system disease. Diagnosis is usually by ECG.4 Tem 2014
Read moreWhat is the ECG finding of atrial flutter?
ECG in atrial flutter. The ECG shows regular flutter waves (F-waves; not to be confused with f-waves seen in atrial fibrillation) which gives the baseline a saw-tooth appearance . Atrial flutter is the only diagnosis causing this baseline appearance, which is why it must be recognized on the ECG.
Read moreIs atrial flutter serious?
Although atrial flutter is usually not life-threatening at first , it does limit how well your heart pumps blood. This can cause a clot to form in your heart. If the clot breaks loose, it could lead to a stroke. Over time, atrial flutter can weaken your heart muscle.
Read moreWhat is atrial fibrillation with slow ventricular response?
AF is often described as having ‘rapid ventricular response’ once the ventricular rate is > 100 bpm. ‘Slow’ AF is a term often used to describe AF with a ventricular rate < 60 bpm . Causes of ‘slow’ AF include hypothermia, digoxin toxicity, and medications.
Read moreHow do you read an atrial flutter on an ECG?
ECG features of atrial flutter
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