What is Atrial Fibrillation (AF)?
our heart is divided into 4 chambers. The 2 upper chambers are called the left and right atrium, and the lower 2 chambers are called the left and right ventricles. With each beat of your heart, blood is pumped to and from other parts of the body. The pumping is controlled by your heart’s electrical system. When resting, a normal adult heart usually beats 60-120 times per minute
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is an irregular heart rhythm condition that affects the upper chambers (atria) of the heart. This arrhythmia prevents blood from being pumped efficiently to the rest of your body. AF itself is not life-threatening but it can lead to stroke and heart failure, so it has potentially serious side effects.
When AF occurs, disorganized electrical signals cause the atria to quiver rapidly and irregularly, instead of beating in a regular rhythm. Because the heart chambers are not working together properly, this can reduce the heart’s ability to pump blood efficiently to the rest of the body.
