Atrial fibrillation, often called AFib or AF, is the most common type of treated heart arrhythmia. An arrhythmia is when the heart beats too slowly, too fast, or in an irregular way.
When a person has AFib, the normal beating in the upper chambers of the heart (the two atria) is irregular, and blood doesn’t flow as well as it should from the atria to the lower chambers of the heart (the two ventricles). AFib may happen in brief episodes, or it may be a permanent condition.
(Also called AFib or AF) is a quivering or irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia) that can lead to stroke and other heart-related complications. In atrial fibrillation, the upper chambers of the heart (the atria) beat irregularly (quiver) instead of beating effectively to move blood into the ventricles.
Identify:
Heart Rate:
Rhythm: Atrial Fibrillation
P wave:
QRS Complex:
ST segment:
Check the Patient:
- Level of Consciousness
- Hypotension (Systolic Less than 90mmHg.)
- Chest Discomfort or Shortness of Breath
- Saturation:
- HR
Stable Treatment Plan:
- Consider Oxygenation
- Monitor and Continue Observing
- Obtain IV/IO Access
Unstable Treatment Plan
Causes:
- Heart disease
- Heart failure
- Other heart conditions, such as Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome
- Chronic lung disease
- A lot of caffeine
- Drinking too much alcohol
- Drug misuse, including cocaine and methamphetamine
- Pregnancy
- Smoking
- Thyroid disease
- Certain medications, including asthma medications and cold and allergy drugs