Atrial Fibrillation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Atrial Fibrillation - Essay Example AF may occur in men or women and is generally seen in the elderly population in the age group of 60 -70 years or above. As Kowey and Naccarelli points out â€Å"from an epidemiological standpoint AF is predominantly a disease of elderly individuals with cardiovascular diseases† (Kowey and Naccarelli, p.1). AF generally is not seen in the young population. The human heart consists of four chambers – the upper two chambers are known as atria while the two lower ones are known as ventricles. De-oxygenated blood containing high amounts of carbon dioxide enters the right atrium via the superior vena cava and inferior vena cava and flows into the right ventricle. The right atrium contracts to pump the rest of the blood into the right ventricle which in turn contracts to pump the blood into the lungs where the blood loses its carbon dioxide and gets fresh oxygen supply. This oxygenated blood then enters the left atrium which contracts to pump the blood into left ventricle. The left ventricle contracts to send the blood to the rest of the body. These contractions of the heart muscles occur due to an inbuilt electric supply system present in the human heart that sends out electrical signals during each heart beat. Each electrical signal starts its journey from the sino-atrial (SA) node present in the right atrium of the heart. From her e as it moves down it causes both the atria to contract thus pumping blood to the ventricles. The electrical signal then moves down to the atrio-ventricular node and via the bundle of His enter both the ventricles causing them to contract and pump blood to the lungs and the rest of the body. In atrial fibrillation this electrical signal arises from the nearby pulmonary veins and other parts of the right atrium instead of the SA node. These electrical signals produced are extremely irregular and generally very rapid and can range up to 350 signals per