Atrial Fibrillation Research Paper

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Pages: 2

Atrial fibrillation is an irregularly rapid heart rate caused by poor blood flow in the heart. Atrial fibrillation, also known as a fib, can cause serious complications. If not treated immediately it can lead to cardiac arrest. (who, how, and when was it discovered). A fib is caused by uncoordinated atrial activation and associated with an irregularly irregular ventricular response. What happens is the ventricles and atrium do not beat in coordination and the heart is beating very irregularly not allowing proper amounts of blood to be circulated throughout the body. The causes of atrial fibrillation include underlying structural heart disease, metabolic disorders, endocrine diseases, and certain medications. Some Cardiac abnormalities include mitral or aortic stenosis, hypertension, coronary artery disease, or pulmonary embolism. A few metabolic causes are carbon monoxide poisoning, hypoxemia, hypokalemia, and hypercalcemia. Drugs that can lead to a fib include albuterol, adenosine, and nicotine. …show more content…
Patients who are suspected of having atrial fibrillation should obtain an electrocardiogram to establish the diagnosis. On the ECG it should show rapid baseline waves, absence of the P wave, and irregularly irregular ventricular response. A transthoracic echocardiogram should be obtained to rule out any vavular disease pericardial disease. To determine the correct management of the patients a fib the following factors must be taken into consideration: hemodynamic stability, concurrent cardiovascular symptoms, identifying contributing factors, and duration of atrial fibrillation. A chest x-ray may be used if there is any suspected pulmonary abnormality. The x-ray is used to detect enlargement or the chambers, and evaluate pulmonary