Our heart is divided into four chambers. When divided from top to bottom, the chambers in each of the two halves of our heart form two adjacent pumps, the upper (atrium - atria) and lower chambers (ventricle - ventricle). During a single heartbeat, the pumps operate in a two-stage cycle. First, the smaller atria (atria) contract and fill the relaxed ventricles with blood.
Half a second later, the stronger ventricles (ventricles)contract as the atria relax and fill. They deliver blood to the body circulation. For effective blood circulation, this pulling and pumping system must work in rhythmic harmony. In addition, for effective blood circulation, a proper heart rate control is needed, which is 60 to 100 beats per minute in a normal heart when the body is at rest.
The regulation of these two factors is created by the electrical system of the heart. Each heartbeat normally originates from a group of specialized cells called sinus nodes. The sinus node, located in the upper right atrium, is your heart's natural pacemaker. It has the ability to spontaneously generate electrical impulses that initiate heartbeats. Normal heart rhythm is called "sinus rhythm".
Heart arrhythmias can occur at any stage of defects in the heart's electrical system. We classify arrhythmias depending on where they originate (atria or ventricles) or the heart rate they cause. Tachycardia refers to a fast heartbeat – more than 100 beats per minute. Barycardia refers to a slow heartbeat – less than 60 beats per minute at rest. Not every tachycardia or barycardia indicates a disease. For example, during exercise, it is normal for sinus tachycardia to occur as the heart increases its speed to provide oxygen-rich blood to the tissues. Since athletes' hearts work very efficiently, their heart rate is below 60 beats per minute at rest.
Atrial fibrillation is the fast and irregular beating of the atrial chambers and is the most common arrhythmia. The risk of developing atrial fibrillation is mainly due to normal wear and tear that can affect the function of your heart as you get older, after age 65. increases. During atrial fibrillation, the electrical activity of the atria becomes out of sync. The atria beat so fast that they begin to tremble – up to 300 to 400 beats per minute (fibrillation). Electrical waves have the same erratic activity as when you throw a handful of pebbles into a calm pond. Electrical confusion in the atria of the heart causes the ventricles to work irregularly. For this reason, the pulse is sometimes fast, sometimes slow, full in some beats and weak in some beats.
Atrial fibrillation is one of the most common rhythm disorders encountered in the clinic. Structural heart diseases such as rheumatic heart disease, hypertension, and heart failure are important risk factors for the development of atrial fibrillation. In addition to its symptoms that reduce the quality of life, atrial fibrillation causes complications such as systemic embolism, hemodynamic disorder, and tachycardia-related myopathy.
There are three ways to ensure sinus rhythm in patients with atrial fibrillation:
1) With drug treatment; A group of drugs are successful in restoring sinus rhythm, especially in patients with new atrial fibrillation. The success rate decreases with the length of AF duration and the presence of an additional accompanying heart disease.
2) By angiographic means; By using a method called "catheter ablation" in angiography, certain conduction pathways in the heart It can be tried in cases of inactivation and early detected AF, especially if there is no other accompanying heart disease.
3) With surgery; The heart conduction system that causes the arrhythmia is neutralized and normal sinus rhythm is established.
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