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Risks, Types and Causes of Atrial Flutter and CPR Classes in Palm Harbor

Atrial flutter is a problem when the atria of the ticker beats rapidly and regularly due to an anomaly of the ticker’s electrical system that usually results in a tachycardia (an abnormally fast heart rate). An individual with the condition may get feelings like near-fainting, rapid heartbeats (palpitations), mild shortness of breath and fatigue. During atrial flutter, the ticker beats extra fast about 250-400 beats per minute. This type of arrhythmia (abnormal heart rhythm) can be dangerous because complications can easily develop, and a normal heartbeat is 60-100 beats per minute. Atrial fibrillation is another arrhythmia that atrial flutter is closely related to.


Atrial Flutter Types:
1.      Persistent atrial flutter which is more or less permanent.
2.      Paroxysmal atrial flutter which can come and go. An atrial flutter episode usually lasts hours or days.

Risks:
The main danger is that your ticker doesn’t pump blood as efficiently when it beats too fast. Vital organs like the heart muscle and brain may not receive enough blood which can cause them to fail. It can also result in congestive heart failure, heart attack and stroke. If left untreated, the complications of atrial flutter can be devastating but with proper treatment- it is rarely life-threatening.

Causes:
Healthcare providers don’t always know, even no root cause is ever found in some people. But atrial flutter can result from diseases or other problems in the ticker, a disease in some other area in the body that affects the ticker, substances that change the way your ticker transmits electrical impulses. Cardiovascular diseases or problems that can cause atrial flutter include hypertension (high blood pressure), cardiomyopathy (heart muscle disease), abnormal heart valves, hypertrophy (an enlarged chamber of the ticker), ischemia (reduced blood flow to the ticker due to coronary heart disease, hardening of the arteries, or a blood clot). Hyperthyroidism, pulmonary embolism (a blood clot in a blood vessel in the lungs) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are diseases elsewhere in the body that affect the heart.

Alcohol and stimulants like cocaine, diet pills, cold medicines, etc. are substances that may contribute to atrial flutter.

Symptoms:
Symptoms include shortness of breath, palpitations and anxiety. Some people with the condition have no symptoms at all. Angina pectoris (chest or heart pains), feeling faint or light-headed and syncope (fainting) are the symptoms that people with heart or lung disease who’ve atrial flutter may experience.

Call your doctor if you have any of the symptoms, if you’re taking medication for the condition and have any of the signs and symptoms described. Go to a hospital emergency department with immediate effect if you have severe chest pain, feel faint or light-headed and faint- provided you’ve been diagnosed and are being treated for atrial flutter.

Exams and Tests for Atrial Flutter:
You cannot get treatment until the doctor knows your specific arrhythmia type. Your doctor will most probably suggest one of the following tests to know about what’s happening with your ticker:

1.      Electrocardiogram
2.      Holter monitor/Ambulatory EKG
3.      Event Monitor
4.      Echocardiogram

The goals of atrial flutter treatment are to control heart rate, restore a normal sinus rhythm and prevent future occurrences, and prevent stroke. Procedures to treat atrial flutter are medication (heart rate and heart rhythm medicines, anticoagulants) and defibrillation.
Hope, this information proves useful for you.

If you are on the lookout to join a CPR class in Palm Harbor, don’t look beyond the AHA certified CPR Tampa in Palm Harbor. Classes are conducted for healthcare as well as non-healthcare providers. Check our class calendar and select a course and timing as per your requirement and schedule. If you cannot find the class day/time that fits your schedule, check out our Tampa location- 5396 Primrose Lake Circle, Conference Room, Tampa, FL- 33647. For more information, contact CPR Tampa in Palm Harbor on 727-240-9404.

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