Atrial Fibrillation (AF)
Atrial Fibrillation (AF)
Atrial Fibrillation (AF)
Atrial Fibrillation
Fibrillation
(AF)
(AF)
By Stephanie Chieng
Introduction
• AF is a cardiac arrhythmia (abnormal heart
rhythm) that involves the two upper chambers
(atria) of the heart.
• It is a loss of atrial contribution to ventricular
filling (inefficient movement of blood to
ventricles due to incomplete filling of atria)
Introduction (cont’)
• In AF, the normal electrical impulses (by the
SA node) are overwhelmed by disorganized
electrical impulses that originated in the atria
and pulmonary veins, leading to conduction of
irregular impulses to the ventricles that
generate the heartbeat.
• The result is an irregular heartbeat which may
occur in episodes lasting from minutes to
weeks, or it could occur all the time for years.
Signs & Symptoms
• Often asymptomatic, and is not in itself
generally life-threatening
• Common Sx: chest palpitations, dyspnoea on
exertion (DOE)
• Light headedness, dizziness, reduced exercise
tolerance (due to reduced CO and inadequate
cerebral blood flow)
• Reduced CO results in signs of HF ( JVP,
ankle oedema, fluid in the lungs)
Causes
• Most commonly associated with CVD, IHD,
CHF, CVA
• Valve diseases, atrial septal defect
• HTN, COAD, pulmonary embolism,
hyperthyroidism
• Excessive alcohol intake; an alchoholic
cardiotoxicity caused by an episode of binge
drinking
Types of AF
• The American College of Cardiology (ACC), American Heart
Association (AHA), and the European Society of Cardiology
(ESC) recommend in their guidelines the following
classification system based on simplicity and clinical relevance