When is it A.F.?

[feejbee]

I have Atrial Tachycardia ,Fibrillation and Flutter but I don't know what symptoms belong to what .I often have heart rate that goes high and low and irregular so assume that's fibrillation but often have days when I have a low pulse 50 and low oxygen level 90 that I feel quite light headed and faint, this particularly happens at rest either in bed or watching TV.so I have to get up and walk around briskly .Does this happen to anyone else and if so what do you do to try to stop it ?

[Beancounter Volunteer]

Hi Feejbee

With tachycardia, fibrilation and flutter, I am not sure anyone can answer that question. As I understand it in my non medical way, the tachycardia is what happens when your heart beats fast for any reason, can be due to AF but could also be due to the Flutter. Tachycardia is usually defined as a fast heartbeat over 100 at rest.

The cause of the tachycardia, could be AF or Atrial Flutter, or even something else.

The flutter is supposed to feel like "palpitations" which I do not suffer from but I am told can feel like your heart leaping about inside your chest, or at a minor level might just be a feeling of missed heart beats

A Fib again differs from person to person, mine is simply a continuous abnormal heartbeat, I ply my heartbeat to people using an app on my mobile and they just look at me strangely, but I get no other real symptoms. Other have tachycardia like attacks of A Fib when their heart races and flutters.

So I suspect they are so intertwined that trying to "label" them might be really difficult.

Hope this helps,

Ian

[SRMGrandma Volunteer]

That is always confusing for sure. Tachycardia just means rapid heart rate. Atrial tachy arises from the atria, the chambers above the ventricles. Typically flutter is fast and regular, and the A. Fib is fast and irregular. There is a good link here which might be helpful. Oh, I see I copied the explanation, not the link...so here you go. As for the pulse in the 50's. Are you on meds that are doing that? If you feel dizzy frequently talk with your health care provider.

Description

What is the difference between supraventricular arrhythmias (SVT) like atrial flutter and atrial fibrillation?

It is normal for your heart rate to change during the day, depending on your activity level. For example, you can expect your heart rate to increase when you're exercising, but not when you are sitting still.

Any kind of abnormal rhythm or heart rate is called an arrhythmia. Fast, abnormal heart rhythms, with rates over 100 bpm, are called tachyarrhythmias. Supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) is a general term for any fast heart rhythm coming from above the ventricles.

Anyone can develop an arrhythmia, even a young person without a previous heart condition. However, arrhythmias are most common in people over 65 who have heart damage caused by a heart attack, cardiac surgery, or other conditions. Common SVTs include:

Atrial fibrillation

Atrial flutter

Atrioventricular nodal re-entrant tachycardia (AVNRT)

Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome (WPW)

Atrial fibrillation

(AF or AFib) is the most common SVT, affecting more than 2 million Americans in the United States. It is a main cause of stroke, especially among elderly people.1 During AF, the heartbeat produced by the atria is irregular and rapid—typically more than 300 bpm—where muscle fibers in the heart twitch or contract. With such a fast heart rate, the heart does not pump efficiently. This may cause blood to pool and can lead to the formation of clumps of blood called blood clots. A stroke can occur if a blood clot travels from the heart and blocks a smaller artery in the brain (a cerebral artery). About 15% of strokes happen in people with atrial fibrillation.

Atrial Flutter

Atrial flutter is similar to atrial fibrillation, with heart rates up to 4 times faster than normal in the atria. It differs from atrial fibrillation (AF) in that the heartbeat is regular, not irregular. With atrial flutter, the electrical signal becomes “trapped” in the right atrium. It repeatedly travels in a circular pattern inside the right atrium, only occasionally “escaping” through the AV node to the ventricles. This causes your atria to beat faster than the ventricles of your heart, at rates between 150 and 450 beats each minute. Most who experience atrial flutter are 60 years and older and have some heart disorder, such as heart valve problems or a thickening of the heart muscle. Atrial flutter also carries the risk of developing blood clots, though not as great as with AF.

AV Nodal Re-entrant Tachycardia (AVNRT)

AVNRT is the second most common SVT. In a normal heart, there is a single electrical pathway, or “gate,” called an atrioventricular node (AV node). The AV node controls the timing and direction of the electrical signal as it travels from the upper chambers (atria) to the lower chambers (ventricles) of the heart. With AVNRT, an extra electrical pathway forms which allows the electrical signal to travel backward through the “gate” (AV Node) at the same time, starting another heartbeat. During AVNRT the electrical signals continuously go around the 2 pathways in a circular pattern called re-entry. This can lead to a very fast heart rate of 160 to 220 beats per minute. AVNRT is most common in people in their 20's and 30's but can occur at any age. It is more common in women than in men.

[feejbee]

Thank you Ian and Grandma for your very detailed information ,very helpful. I am certain that many of my symptoms are down to medication ,particularly the Bisoprolol which I need to bring down the rapid heart rate when in AF but as I have low blood pressure naturally, it lowers my heart rate to very low when not in AF. Felt very faint and sick when it dropped to 44 .I would try and get the medication changed but as I'm to have an ablation in a couple of weeks I may as well just put up with it and see what happens then. My body feels in total chaos at the moment and as fast as I seem on top of one thing something else rears its ugly head.

[Beancounter Volunteer in reply to feejbee]

Hi Feejbee

Good luch with the ablation, I am sure that will help a lot.

I changed from Bisprolol to Diltiazem due to the feeling of tiredness, and I feel like a new man, suddenly have energy again, and been bouncing off the walls with rude health.

As you say sensible to wait until after the ablation,

I am sure it will settle down, I spent 3 months convincing myself that the way I felt would last forever, it doesn't, and you won't

Chin up and here is hoping for a really successful ablation

Ian

[feejbee]

Hi Ian

Thank you so much for those words of comfort.I am at the stage where I believe it will last forever. Interesting what you said about Bisoprolol .I have to have a sleep every afternoon for an hour or two just to survive long enough to go to bed by 10 pm. When I was told by the cardiologist ( I didn't believe at that time, only Nov.'12 ,that there was anything wrong with my heart ) that I needed to see an EP and have a heart procedure ,I was horrified .Now I can't wait for that day to come.

Fi

P.S. It's 10.30 .I am up late tonight !!!!!!!!!

[Terjo]

Good luck. Glad you're being seen so quickly. Trejo

[feejbee in reply to Terjo]

Thank you so very much.

Fi