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    Atrial Flutter (Flutter in the Heart) A Simple Guide To The Condition, Diagnosis, Treatment And Related Conditions
    Atrial Flutter (Flutter in the Heart) A Simple Guide To The Condition, Diagnosis, Treatment And Related Conditions
    Atrial Flutter (Flutter in the Heart) A Simple Guide To The Condition, Diagnosis, Treatment And Related Conditions
    Ebook124 pages1 hour

    Atrial Flutter (Flutter in the Heart) A Simple Guide To The Condition, Diagnosis, Treatment And Related Conditions

    By Kenneth Kee

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    About this ebook

    Atrial flutter (AFL) is an abnormality of the heart rhythm, resulting in a rapid and sometimes irregular heartbeat.
    It happens when the upper chambers of the heart beat too fast.
    When the chambers in the top of the heart (atria) beat faster than the bottom ones (ventricles), it causes the heart rhythm to be out of sync.
    Atrial flutter is a similar disorder to the more common atrial fibrillation (AFib).
    The main danger of atrial flutter is that the heart does not pump blood well when beating too fast.
    When blood is not pumped out properly, the vital organs such as the heart and brain may not get sufficient oxygen from the blood.
    Types of Atrial Flutter:
    1. Type I, or typical, is well defined both anatomically and electrically (movement counterclockwise).
    It is always being interrupted by rapid atrial pacing, with atrial rates from 240-350 bpm.
    2. Type II, or atypical, is not fully typically featured (movement clockwise).
    It is linked with atrial rates above 350 bpm.
    Atrial flutter can come and go; it is then known as paroxysmal atrial flutter.
    More often, atrial flutter lasts for days to weeks and is known as persistent atrial flutter.
    Main differences between AFL and AFib:
    1. In atrial flutter, the electrical impulses are organized.
    In AFib, the electrical impulses are chaotic.
    2. AFib is more common than atrial flutter.
    3. Ablation therapy is more successful in people with atrial flutter.
    4. In atrial flutter, there is a "sawtooth" pattern on an ECG.
    In AFib, the ECG test shows an irregular ventricular rate.
    5. The symptoms of atrial flutter tend to be less severe than the symptoms of AFib.
    People with atrial flutter are likely to develop AFib, even after treatment.
    Both conditions carry increased risk of stroke, normally managed by drugs (such as warfarin or a newer anticoagulant).
    Medical Heart Disorders causing Atrial Flutter:
    1. Decreased blood flow to the heart (ischemia) due to coronary heart disease
    2. High blood pressure (hypertension)
    3. Disease of the heart muscle (cardiomyopathy)
    4. Abnormalities of the heart valves
    5. An abnormally enlarged chamber of the heart (hypertrophy)
    Symptoms:
    1. Fast heart rate
    2. A fluttering feeling in the chest
    3. Shortness of breath
    4. Pressure or tightness in the chest
    5. Dizziness or lightheaded
    6. Anxiety
    7. Trouble doing everyday activities because of fatigue
    Diagnosis:
    Doctors begin to diagnose possible AFL if the heartbeat at rest goes above 100 beat per minute.
    Electrocardiogram measures and records the electrical impulses controlling the beating of the heart.
    The purpose of a mobile ECG is to take reported proof of the arrhythmia.
    Echocardiograms use ultrasound to measure the flow of blood through the heart and blood vessels.
    EP (electrophysiology) studies are a more invasive way to record heart rhythm with a catether to the heart.
    Treatment
    The doctor’s main goal is to restore the heart rhythm to normal.
    Cardioversion (defibrillation) uses electricity to shock the heart’s rhythm back to normal.
    Some people with newly diagnosed atrial flutter convert to a normal rhythm spontaneously in 24-48 hours but may recur.
    Most patients with atrial flutter, in people older than 65 years, should take a blood-thinning medicine called warfarin (Coumadin) to reduce this risk of stroke or aspirin
    Rhythm control Medicines
    1. Amiodarone (Cordarone),
    2. Sotalol (Betapace),
    3. Propafenone (Rythmol), and
    4. Flecainide (Tambocor).
    Rate Control Medicines:
    1. Digoxin.
    2. Beta-blockers
    3. Calcium channel blockers,
    4. Dofetilide
    Radiofrequency catheter ablation may provide long-term successful treatment by obliterating some abnormal conduction pathways in the atria.

    TABLE OF CONTENT
    Introduction
    Chapter 1 Atrial Flutter
    Chapter 2 Causes
    Chapter 3 Sym

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherKenneth Kee
    Release dateAug 22, 2017
    ISBN9781370848096
    Atrial Flutter (Flutter in the Heart) A Simple Guide To The Condition, Diagnosis, Treatment And Related Conditions
    Author

    Kenneth Kee

    Medical doctor since 1972.Started Kee Clinic in 1974 at 15 Holland Dr #03-102, relocated to 36 Holland Dr #01-10 in 2009.Did my M.Sc (Health Management ) in 1991 and Ph.D (Healthcare Administration) in 1993.Dr Kenneth Kee is still working as a family doctor at the age of 74However he has reduced his consultation hours to 3 hours in the morning and 2 hours inthe afternoon.He first started writing free blogs on medical disorders seen in the clinic in 2007 on http://kennethkee.blogspot.com.His purpose in writing these simple guides was for the health education of his patients which is also his dissertation for his Ph.D (Healthcare Administration). He then wrote an autobiography account of his journey as a medical student to family doctor on his other blog http://afamilydoctorstale.blogspot.comThis autobiography account “A Family Doctor’s Tale” was combined with his early “A Simple Guide to Medical Disorders” into a new Wordpress Blog “A Family Doctor’s Tale” on http://ken-med.com.From which many free articles from the blog was taken and put together into 1000 eBooks.He apologized for typos and spelling mistakes in his earlier books.He will endeavor to improve the writing in futures.Some people have complained that the simple guides are too simple.For their information they are made simple in order to educate the patients.The later books go into more details of medical disorders.He has published 1000 eBooks on various subjects on health, 1 autobiography of his medical journey, another on the autobiography of a Cancer survivor, 2 children stories and one how to study for his nephew and grand-daughter.The purpose of these simple guides is to educate patient on health disorders and not meant as textbooks.He does not do any night duty since 2000 ever since Dr Tan had his second stroke.His clinic is now relocated to the Buona Vista Community Centre.The 2 units of his original clinic are being demolished to make way for a new Shopping Mall.He is now doing some blogging and internet surfing (bulletin boards since the 1980's) startingwith the Apple computer and going to PC.The entire PC is upgraded by himself from XT to the present Pentium duo core.The present Intel i7 CPU is out of reach at the moment because the CPU is still expensive.He is also into DIY changing his own toilet cistern and other electric appliance.His hunger for knowledge has not abated and he is a lifelong learner.The children have all grown up and there are 2 grandchildren who are even more technically advanced than the grandfather where mobile phones are concerned.This book is taken from some of the many articles in his blog (now with 740 posts) A Family Doctor’s Tale.Dr Kee is the author of:"A Family Doctor's Tale""Life Lessons Learned From The Study And Practice Of Medicine""Case Notes From A Family Doctor"

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      Book preview

      Atrial Flutter (Flutter in the Heart) A Simple Guide To The Condition, Diagnosis, Treatment And Related Conditions - Kenneth Kee

      Atrial Flutter

      (Flutter in the Heart)

      A

      Simple

      Guide

      To

      The Condition,

      Diagnosis,

      Treatment

      And

      Related Conditions

      By

      Dr Kenneth Kee

      M.B.,B.S. (Singapore)

      Ph.D (Healthcare Administration)

      Copyright Kenneth Kee 2017 Smashwords Edition

      Published by Kenneth Kee at Smashwords.com

      Dedication

      This book is dedicated

      To my wife Dorothy

      And my children

      Carolyn, Grace

      And Kelvin

      This book describes Atrial Flutter, Diagnosis and Treatment and Related Diseases which is seen in some of my patients in my Family Clinic.

      (What The patient Need to Treat Atrial Flutter)

      This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If the patient would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each reader.

      If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy.

      Thank the patient for respecting the hard work of this author.

      Introduction

      I have been writing medical articles for my blog http://kennethkee.blogspot.com (A Simple Guide to Medical Disorder) for the benefit of my patients since 2007.

      My purpose in writing these simple guides was for the health education of my patients.

      Health Education was also my dissertation for my Ph.D (Healthcare Administration).

      I then wrote an autobiolographical account of his journey as a medical student to family doctor on his other blog http://afamilydoctorstale.blogspot.com.

      This autobiolographical account A Family Doctor’s Tale was combined with my early A Simple Guide to Medical Disorders into a new Wordpress Blog A Family Doctor’s Tale on http://kenkee481.wordpress.com.

      From which many free articles from the blog was taken and put together into 800 amazon kindle books and 200 into Smashwords.com eBooks.

      Some people have complained that the simple guides are too simple.

      For their information they are made simple in order to educate the patients.

      The later books go into more details of medical disorders.

      The first chapter is always from my earlier blogs which unfortunately tends to have typos and spelling mistakes.

      Since 2013, I have tried to improve my spelling and writing.

      As I tried to bring the patient the latest information about a disorder or illness by reading the latest journals both online and offline, I find that I am learning more and improving on my own medical knowledge in diagnosis and treatment for my patients.

      Just by writing all these simple guides I find that I have learned a lot from your reviews (good or bad), criticism and advice.

      I am sorry for the repetitions in these simple guides as the second chapters onwards have new information as compared to my first chapter taken from my blog.

      I also find repetition definitely help me and maybe some readers to remember the facts in the books more easily.

      I apologize if these repetitions are irritating to some readers.

      Chapter 1

      Atrial Flutter

      What is Atrial Flutter?

      Atrial flutter (AFL) is an abnormality of the heart rhythm, resulting in a rapid and sometimes irregular heartbeat.

      It happens when the upper chambers of the heart beat too fast.

      When the chambers in the top of the heart (atria) beat faster than the bottom ones (ventricles), it causes the heart rhythm to be out of sync.

      Atrial flutter is a similar disorder to the more common atrial fibrillation (AFib).

      The main danger of atrial flutter is that the heart does not pump blood well when beating too fast.

      When blood is not pumped out properly, the vital organs such as the heart and brain may not get sufficient oxygen from the blood.

      Types of Atrial Flutter:

      Atrial flutter can be divided into two types:

      1. Type I, or typical, is well defined both anatomically and electrically (movement counterclockwise).

      It is always being interrupted by rapid atrial pacing, with atrial rates from 240-350 bpm.

      2. Type II, or atypical, is not fully typically featured (movement clockwise).

      It is linked with atrial rates above 350 bpm.

      Atrial flutter can come and go; it is then known as paroxysmal atrial flutter.

      More often, atrial flutter lasts for days to weeks and is known as persistent atrial flutter.

      Both Atrial flutter and atrial fibrillation have unusual heart rhythms.

      They occur when there is a problem with the electrical signals and pathways in the heart, which normally help it beat in an organized, effective way.

      Normally, the top chambers (atria) contract and push blood into the bottom chambers (ventricles).

      In atrial fibrillation, the atria beat irregularly.

      But patients who have atrial flutter normally have a very regular heart beat.

      Now atrial fibrillation is much faster than atrial flutter and it is also more chaotic than atrial flutter.

      Atrial fibrillation will cause an irregular heart beat.

      In atrial flutter, the atria beat in a regular manner, but faster than normal and more often than the ventricles so the patient may have four atrial beats to every one ventricular beat.

      Atrial flutter is less frequent than atrial fibrillation, but has similar symptoms (feeling faint, tiredness, palpitations, shortness of breath or dizziness).

      Some patients have mild symptoms while others have no symptoms at all.

      About 33% of people with atrial flutter also have atrial fibrillation.

      Main differences

      1. In atrial flutter, the electrical impulses are organized.

      In AFib, the electrical impulses are chaotic.

      2. AFib is more common than atrial flutter.

      3. Ablation therapy is more successful in people with atrial flutter.

      4. In atrial flutter, there is a sawtooth pattern on an ECG.

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