14 Facts About Atrial flutter

Atrial flutter is a common abnormal heart rhythm that starts in the atrial chambers of the heart.

Atrial flutter is characterized by a sudden-onset regular abnormal heart rhythm on an electrocardiogram in which the heart rate is fast.

Similar to the abnormal heart rhythm atrial fibrillation, atrial flutter leads to poor contraction of the atrial chambers of the heart.

Atrial flutter can be treated more definitively with a technique known as catheter ablation.

Atrial flutter was first identified as an independent medical condition in 1920 by the British physician Sir Thomas Lewis and colleagues.

In rare situations, atrial flutter associated with a fast heart rate persists for an extended period of time without being corrected to a normal heart rhythm and leads to a tachycardia-induced cardiomyopathy.

Typically initiated by a premature electrical impulse arising in the atria, atrial flutter is propagated due to differences in refractory periods of atrial tissue.

Typical atrial flutter is recognized on an electrocardiogram by presence of characteristic "flutter waves" at a regular rate of 200 to 300 beats per minute.

Type I flutter is further divided into two subtypes, known as counterclockwise atrial flutter and clockwise atrial flutter depending on the direction of current passing through the loop.

Atypical atrial flutter rarely occurs in people who have not undergone previous heart surgery or previous catheter ablation procedures.

Atypical atrial flutter originating from the right atrium and heart's septum have been described.

In general, atrial flutter should be managed in the same way as atrial fibrillation.

However, atrial flutter is more resistant to correction with such medications than atrial fibrillation.

Atrial flutter is considerably more sensitive to electrical direct current cardioversion than atrial fibrillation, with a shock of only 20 to 50 Joules commonly being enough to cause a return to a normal heart rhythm.