Atrial fibrillation/flutter

Injury	Disease	Nutrition	Poison

Symptoms	Surgery	Test	Special Topic

Heart, section through the middle

Heart, front view

Posterior heart arteries

Anterior heart arteries

Atrial fibrillation/flutter

Alternative Names:

Auricular fibrillation; A-fib
Symptoms:

Sensation of feeling heart beat (palpitations)
Pulse may feel rapid, racing, pounding, fluttering, or it can feel too slow
Pulse may feel regular or irregular
Dizziness, light-headedness
Fainting
Confusion
Fatigue
Shortness of breath
Breathing difficulty, lying down
Sensation of tightness in the chest

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Note: Symptoms may begin and/or stop suddenly.

Signs and tests:

Listening to the heart with a stethoscope shows an irregular rhythm. The pulse may feel rapid, irregular, or both. Sometimes the pulse is too slow. The normal heart rate is 60 to 100, but in atrial fibrillation/flutter the heart rate may be 100 to 175. Blood pressure may be normal or low.

An ECG shows atrial fibrillation or atrial flutter. Continuous ambulatory cardiac monitoring -- Holter monitor (24 hour test) -- may be necessary because the condition is often sporadic (occurring at some times but not others).

Tests to determine the presence of underlying heart diseases may include: