The cardiovascular diseases

THE ATRIAL FIBRILLATION

- Definition
- The Symptoms
- How to make the diagnosis?
- The Causes
- The Complications
- The Treatment
- The Monitoring

DEFINITION

The heart is composed of 4 cavities, 2 auricles and 2 ventricles. The auricles receive blood coming from the veins, and the ventricles eject blood by the arteries.

An atrial fibrillation is defined as the anarchical contraction of the auricles, inducing a fast and irregular contraction of the ventricles situated just underneath.

The atrial fibrillation is a very frequent disorder of the heart rhythm, in particular in the more than 60-year-old subject.

The atrial fibrillation occurs in the absence or presence of a cardiac illness.

This fibrillation can be defined as:

- Paroxysmal (ending spontaneously), with a lower than 7 days length and recurrent,

- Persistent, with a more than 7 days length, and not giving up spontaneously,

- Permanent, if this arrhythmia is more than one year old and has not been reduced.

The occurrence of an atrial fibrillation poses the problem of its complications and its cause.

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File last reviewed on dec 18, 2011