Atrial Flutter

[tazgymuk]

Could  somebody please clarify  for me, If i've had atrial flutter once. Is the heart still fluttering everyday?

My regular heart beat is 50 - 65 everyday.

[tazgymuk]

Hi, once again thank you for answering my post.hours.
My atrial flutter was diagnosed on the 23 december 2010. I went to hospital with problems of not being able to take a normal breath. I was given oxygen for 2 hours. Saturation from ECG was 78 percent. This is when i was told i have atrial flutter. I was told take warfarin forr 6 weeks then i would get cardioversion. However i felt a slight sweet sensation in my chest 3 week's later. Dr's then told me stop taking warfarin, we'll give you a 24 hour ecg ,at the outpatient clinic, if something shows up i'd get ablation. If not then i would be diagnosed with palpataions.
Initailly i was told not to go to the gym.  Upon the Dr's recommendation to stop warfarin i returned to the gym, only lifting weights with 80 peercent of my strength, no running or boxing until they rule out the flutter.




Once again thank you!

[is_something_wrong]

Hi,

Atrial flutter is a strange arrhythmia. It is, in fact an extremely rapid atrial tachycardia, but "luckily" it's so rapid that some of the impulses are blocked, usually in a regular pattern.

With atrial flutter, the atrial BPM is about 300. It can be a little more or a little less, depending on conduction speed and area within the atrium, but it's usually 300.

Your AV node should block at least 50% of the impulses, so without medications, the normal heart rate with atrial flutter is 150. With high vagal activity or medications, it's normal that 75% or 80% of the impulses are blocked, so heart rate is 75 or 60. You can have lower conduction too, say 1:6, so the heart rate is 50.

The blocking will reduce with activity, which is one of the the dangers with untreated (without medications) atrial flutter. Some people will get an 1:1 conduction which is a severe condition, because the heart rate will be 300 and that's a really bad thing. In addition, an everyday heart rate of 150 is hard work for the heart, and (untreated) atrial flutter can, similar to atrial fibrillation, cause blood clots over time. I think most doctors prefers their patients have atrial fibrillation instead of atrial flutter, as this rhythm is easier to control.

If you have atrial flutter, the heart rate will increase in steps with increasing exercise levels, as the blocking is less and less. You won't get a normal increase from say 60 to 150, you will have a heart rate of 60 - 75 - 100 - 150. It changes from one second to the next.

I hope you have your flutter under control and that you get it treated. Ablation is great treatment and it usually cures the flutter. I hope you have documented the arrhythmia with EKG so the diagnosis clear.

[Jerry_NJ]

From you heart beat I'd guess the atrium is not fluttering.  But, that should be judged by a doctor with at least a stethoscope (and experience) - better an EKG.

If you don't have any symptoms such as shortness of breath, dizziness, or reduced physical endurance/strength that would support my guess, no flutter.

Do you know what caused the one time flutter, and how was that diagnosed?