Atrial fibrillation can be interpreted by noting

Atrial fibrillation is a strong, independent risk factor for ischemic stroke, but this common cardiac dysrhythmia is only weakly associated with transient ischemic attack (TIA). 1-4 Most strokes in patients with atrial fibrillation are cardioembolic caused by embolism of left atrial appendage thrombi, but an important minority is caused by coexisting intrinsic cerebrovascular diseases in ...

Study with Quizlet and memorize flashcards containing terms like The 6-second method for calculating the rate of a cardiac rhythm:, If the R-R interval spans ___ large boxes or less, the heart rate is greater than 100/min., If the R-R interval spans more than ____ large boxes on the ECG graph paper, the heart rate is less than 60/min. and more. The analysis of P-wave template has been widely used to extract indices of Atrial Fibrillation (AF) risk stratification. The aim of this paper was to assess the potential of the analysis of the P-wave variability over time in patients suffering from atrial fibrillation. P-wave features extracted from P-wave template together with novel indices ...I48.91 is a billable/specific ICD-10-CM code that can be used to indicate a diagnosis for reimbursement purposes. The 2024 edition of ICD-10-CM I48.91 became effective on October 1, 2023. This is the American ICD-10-CM version of I48.91 - other international versions of ICD-10 I48.91 may differ.Life expectancy of patients with atrial fibrillation depends on many factors but older patients are usually at higher risk. Patients with atrial fibrillation have a double mortalit...A revised version of the Apple algorithm now detects atrial fibrillation at ventricular rates up to 150 bpm. 10 However, the accuracy of the algorithm is significantly lower at ventricular rates above 100 bpm than at ventricular rates of 50-99 bpm (98.3% vs. 83%). 7 In this context, it is important to note that new-onset atrial fibrillation ...Atrial fibrillation (AF) is an arrhythmia. It results from irregular, disorganized electrical activity in the atria, leading to an irregular ventricular rhythm. The ventricular rate of untreated AF often averages between 160–180 beats per minute (although this is typically slower in older people). The most common causes of AF are ischaemic ...Diagnostic tests. To diagnose atrial fibrillation, your provider will likely do one or more heart or blood tests. Electrocardiograms, or EKGs, record your heart’s electrical activity. Data from your pacemaker or implanted defibrillator, if you have one, may also be helpful. If the diagnosis is unclear from the EKG or if more information is ...

Atrial fibrillation is a rapid, irregularly irregular atrial rhythm. Symptoms include palpitations and sometimes weakness, effort intolerance, dyspnea, and presyncope. Atrial thrombi …2. The increasing prevalence of AF in the elderly mirrors the prevalence of other cardiovascular illness, comorbid conditions, and polypharmacy in this age group. 1. Therefore, falls and syncope in older adults with AF can …Amiodarone hydrochloride is used in the treatment of arrhythmias, particularly when other drugs are ineffective or contraindicated. It can be used for paroxysmal supraventricular, nodal and ventricular tachycardias, atrial fibrillation and flutter, and ventricular fibrillation. It can also be used for tachyarrhythmias associated with Wolff ...Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common sustained cardiac arrhythmia, and it is strongly associated with morbidity, mortality, and poor quality of life. AF stems from several etiologies, and rather than ischemic heart disease, heart failure, and hyperthyroidism, ANS plays a crucial role in AF, particularly for patients with no structural ...Atrial fibrillation (AF) describes the rapid, irregular beating of the left atrium or upper chamber of the heart. These fast contractions of the heart are weaker than normal contractions. This results in slow flow of blood in the atrium. The blood pools and becomes sluggish and can lead to the forming of blood clots.

Atrial fibrillation can cause blood to pool in the atria and form clots. Most people with atrial fibrillation need to take anticoagulant medication to prevent blood clots. For decades, the drug used most often was warfarin. Like any blood thinning drug, it has risks: a drug that reduces the risk of blood clotting thereby increases the risk of ...Mitral valve thickening is a feature of mitral valve stenosis and can cause complications that include atrial fibrillation, infective endocarditis, pulmonary hypertension, pulmonar...With atrial fibrillation, many parts of the atria, the heart's two upper chambers, start emitting uncoordinated electrical signals. The electrical impulses cause irregular, erratic and unusually fast heartbeats. An estimated 2 million Americans are living with atrial fibrillation, making it the most common serious heart rhythm abnormality.This study aimed at analyzing the potential of P-wave variability for indicating atrial modifications caused by atrial fibrillation. The link between different P-wave morphologies and different patterns of interatrial conduction in patients with AF has been demonstrated 8, 9. We quantify the P-wave variability over time using three algorithms ...The cornerstones of atrial fibrillation (AF) management are rate control and anticoagulation [1, 19] and rhythm control for those symptomatically limited by AF. [] The clinical decision to use a rhythm-control or rate-control strategy requires an integrated consideration of several factors, including degree of symptoms, likelihood of successful cardioversion, presence of comorbidities, and ...

Ill tollway pay toll online.

7. Cough or squeeze your pelvic muscles to engage your vagus nerve. The vagus nerve helps control your heart function, so engaging it may help stop an AFib episode. You can trigger your vagus nerve by coughing or squeezing your pelvic muscles as though you're about to have a bowel movement.Atrial fibrillation is a rapid, irregularly irregular atrial rhythm. Symptoms include palpitations and sometimes weakness, effort intolerance, dyspnea, and presyncope. Atrial thrombi may form, causing a significant risk of embolic stroke. Diagnosis is by electrocardiography.I48.91 is a billable/specific ICD-10-CM code that can be used to indicate a diagnosis for reimbursement purposes. The 2024 edition of ICD-10-CM I48.91 became effective on October 1, 2023. This is the American ICD-10-CM version of I48.91 - other international versions of ICD-10 I48.91 may differ.Jun 30, 2022 · Overview. This guideline covers diagnosing and managing atrial fibrillation in adults. It includes guidance on providing the best care and treatment for people with atrial fibrillation, including assessing and managing risks of stroke and bleeding. The recommendations in this guideline were developed before the COVID-19 pandemic. Request an Appointment. 443-997-0270 AFib Treatment. +1-410-502-7683 International. People with atrial fibrillation (Afib) have a higher risk of certain serious complications. They include stroke, heart failure, heart attack and dementia. Lifestyle choices, medications and surgery can help reduce the risk of Afib complications.These electrodes produce an electrocardiogram (ECG) An ECG shows a number of distinctive electrical waves produced by the activity of the heart. A healthy heart produces a distinctive shape in an ECG. The ECG of a healthy heart. The P wave. Caused by the depolarisation of the atria, which results in atrial contraction (systole)

Nonvalvular causes of AFib may include: exposure to heart stimulants, such as alcohol, caffeine, or tobacco. sleep apnea. high blood pressure. lung problems. hyperthyroidism, or an overactive ...Take Home Messages. Every additional standard alcoholic drink per day increases the risk of incident atrial fibrillation (AF) by 8%. Abstinence from alcohol among regular drinkers may reduce the risk of recurrence of AF and AF burden. Whether similar benefits can be derived from a mere reduction in alcohol consumption remains to be proven.A common test to identify AF is an ECG. It can identify unnatural cardiac rhythms and records the electrical activity of the heart [].Electrodes are positioned on the chest, limbs, or both during this painless and non-invasive technique to measure the electrical signals of the heart [].Photoplethysmography (PPG) is another non-invasive … Atrial fibrillation can be interpreted by noting: A) PR intervals that vary from complex to complex. B) an irregularly irregular rhythm and absent P waves. C) a regularly irregular rhythm with abnormal P waves. D) the presence of wide QRS complexes and a rapid rate. B 183. Background: Magnesium (Mg) is often used to manage de novo atrial fibrillation (AF) in the emergency department (ED) and intensive care unit (ICU). Point of care measurement of ionized magnesium (iMg) allows a rapid identification of patients with impaired magnesium status, however, unlike ionized calcium, the interpretation of iMg is not entirely understood. Thus, we evaluated iMg reference ...Introduction. Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common dysrhythmia worldwide, with an estimated prevalence of 2.7 to 6.1 million in the United States (US) alone[].The risk for developing AF increases with advancing age, and the US prevalence is predicted to increase to as high as 12.1 million by the year 2030 as the elderly population continues to grow [].Atrial fibrillation (AF) has increased rapidly with the increase in aging population worldwide 1,2. ... However, our findings related to the NOAC dosage should …In some cases, atrial fibrillation can be corrected with medication or by administering a shock to a sedated patient's heart. In other instances, a procedure called catheter ablation may be used to scar tissue that's creating the erratic signals [HEART BEATING] in the hopes of getting back to that normal beat. Jan. 08, 2022.With atrial fibrillation, many parts of the atria, the heart's two upper chambers, start emitting uncoordinated electrical signals. The electrical impulses cause irregular, erratic and unusually fast heartbeats. An estimated 2 million Americans are living with atrial fibrillation, making it the most common serious heart rhythm abnormality.Measurement of atrial fibrillation. Guidelines on the management of AF, published by NICE in 2006, state that diagnosis should be made by ECG. 1 Suspected paroxysmal AF not detected by standard ECG recording can be diagnosed by a 24-hour ambulatory ECG monitor where asymptomatic episodes are suspected or where episodes are < 24 hours apart, or by an event recorder ECG in which symptomatic ...

Addressing the source cause of atrial fibrillation can lead to a significant benefit for most AFib patients. Targeted lifestyle modifications can reduce your symptoms, reduce your reliance on medications or procedures, and even improve the long-term success rate of a catheter ablation procedure for AFib. However, most patients are not given ...

Atrial fibrillation is the most commonly encountered cardiac arrhythmia in clinical practice (box 1).7 Paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (PAF) is intermittent episodes of atrial fibrillation that terminate within seven days either spontaneously or with intervention.8 This excludes atrial fibrillation that is triggered by transient causes such as ...Some people with atrial fibrillation (AFib) don't notice any symptoms. Atrial fibrillation may be: Occasional, also called paroxysmal atrial fibrillation. AFib symptoms come and go. The symptoms usually last for a few minutes to hours. Some people have symptoms for as long as a week. The episodes can happen repeatedly. Symptoms might go away on ...May 1, 2022 · Atrial fibrillation (Afib) is an irregular heart rhythm that begins in your heart’s upper chambers (atria). Symptoms include fatigue, heart palpitations, trouble breathing and dizziness. Afib is one of the most common arrhythmias. Risk factors include high blood pressure, coronary artery disease and having obesity. Measurement of atrial fibrillation. Guidelines on the management of AF, published by NICE in 2006, state that diagnosis should be made by ECG. 1 Suspected paroxysmal AF not detected by standard ECG recording can be diagnosed by a 24-hour ambulatory ECG monitor where asymptomatic episodes are suspected or where episodes are < 24 hours apart, or by an event recorder ECG in which symptomatic ...Without treatment, A-fib with RVR can lead to heart disease, heart failure or a stroke. Catheter ablation provides an effective, minimally invasive treatment of atrial fibrillation. The maze procedure has a success rate of 80% to 90%, and provides long-term freedom from symptoms. How long it lasts. A-fib with RVR can go on for years.It is shown that computational modeling can identify spurious non-local components of atrial fibrillation electrograms and improve activation mapping, and this approach has the potential to optimize map-guided ablation and improve ablation therapy in atrial Fibrillation.Abstract. Background Analysis of heart rate variability (HRV) has thus far not been applied in patients with atrial fibrillation, probably because of the presumed absence of any form of patterning of the ventricular rhythm, particularly vagally mediated respiratory arrhythmia. However, such patterning is theoretically conceivable given the ...Lee Yun-hang is a long-time interpreter for the US state department who has worked for multiple US presidents. When Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un met privately today (June 12) in Si...

Dodge ram 1500 abs light and traction control.

Susan anne povich.

AF is the most common cardiac arrhythmia, affecting 59 million individuals worldwide, with a lifetime risk of 1 in 3 (refs. 1,2).AF is a major contributor to morbidity and mortality in the Western ...A 2021 review notes that at 12–18 months, ablation eliminates AFib in 60–70% of people with paroxysmal AFib. While ablation can help AFib go away, recurrences are not uncommon. About 20–40% ...Atrial fibrillation with and without congestive heart failure. In the general population, AF is the most common sustained cardiac arrhythmia. ... Although the authors' stated conclusions were not in agreement, it is worth noting that there was some overlap in their 95%CI for all-cause mortality and that the overlapping portion (1.19-1.37) is ...However, atrial fibrillation can lead to other serious complications, so it needs to be treated promptly and monitored closely. During atrial fibrillation, the heart's two upper chambers (atria) beat chaotically and irregularly, out of coordination with the two lower chambers (ventricles). Because of the uncoordinated heartbeat it produces ...Major unmet needs in managing patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) are to track AF propensity, monitor therapeutic response, and ultimately predict AF episodes. We are disappointingly far from these goals because our basic tools in AF—atrial electrograms and their classic interpretation—provide limited actionable data on substrates, their …Paroxysmal AFib is the name for AFib that happens occasionally and usually stops on its own. These transient episodes are usually brought on by a specific trigger. Recognizing triggers and ...Atrial fibrillation (AFib) is the most commonly treated heart arrhythmia. It causes the upper chambers of the heart to beat fast, generating an inefficient heartbeat and increasing the risk of stroke. Anytime someone experiences AFib for the first time, they should go to the hospital. This article will discuss AFib symptoms and when emergency ...The analysis of P-wave template has been widely used to extract indices of Atrial Fibrillation (AF) risk stratification. The aim of this paper was to assess the potential of the analysis of the P-wave variability over time in patients suffering from atrial fibrillation. P-wave features extracted from P-wave template together with novel indices ... ….

May 1, 2022 · Atrial fibrillation (Afib) is an irregular heart rhythm that begins in your heart’s upper chambers (atria). Symptoms include fatigue, heart palpitations, trouble breathing and dizziness. Afib is one of the most common arrhythmias. Risk factors include high blood pressure, coronary artery disease and having obesity. Atrial fibrillation (AF) is an abnormal fast irregular heartbeat. An abnormal heartbeat rhythmis called an arrhythmia. A normal heart rate is between 60 and 100 beats a minute (bpm) when you're resting. In AF the heart rate can sometimes be very fast (often between 140 and 180 bpm) as well as being irregular.The most frequent underlying cause of cardioembolic stroke is atrial fibrillation (AF), a disease that affects almost 3 million people in the USA and 4.5 million in Europe. AF increases the risk of ischemic stroke by a factor of 3 to 5 times. It is estimated that AF is responsible for 15% of all strokes worldwide. Atrial fibrillation is diagnosed on an ECG by the absence of P waves and an irregularly irregular rhythm, leading to the correct interpretation as D. Explanation: Atrial fibrillation (AFib) is a type of arrhythmia characterized by an irregularly irregular heart rhythm and a chaotic electrical pattern in the atria. In diagnosing atrial ... Thirty-three million people have atrial fibrillation (AF), a disorder of heart rhythm. 1 Over the past several decades, ... Fourth, a causal interpretation of the association between AF and stroke does not adequately fit the available experimental evidence. If the dysrhythmia is the only cause of thromboembolism, maintaining normal rhythm ...Quality standard - Atrial fibrillation. Next. This guideline covers diagnosing and managing atrial fibrillation in adults. It includes guidance on providing the best care and treatment for people with atrial fibrillation, including assessing and managing risks of stroke and bleeding. On 30 June 2021, we amended our recommendation on using the ...Also, small "flutter waves" can be seen upon magnification. These signs are indicative of atrial fibrillation or AFib. The atria quiver rapidly, with most electrical impulses being blocked before reaching the ventricles. This leads to an extremely high and unproductive atrial rate, but throttled ventricular rate.These can include: electrical cardioversion. catheter ablation. pacemaker implantation. 4. Permanent atrial fibrillation. Long-standing persistent AFib can become permanent when treatment doesn ...New onset atrial fibrillation (NOAF), usually defined as atrial fibrillation (AF) occurring in patients with no known history of AF [], is a common arrhythmia in critically ill patients [].NOAF occurs in 5-11% of patients admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU) [3,4,5,6], and up to 46% of patients with septic shock [7, 8].NOAF in critically ill patients can cause cardiovascular instability ... Atrial fibrillation can be interpreted by noting, There are many ways of going forward, but only one way of standing still.. Franklin D. Roosevelt. Atrial fibrillation (AF) increases the risk of stroke by 5-fold, and more than 40% of all strokes in patients older than 80 years are attributable to AF. 1 Worse yet, AF-related thromboembolic events lead to larger infarcts and poorer outcomes, such that patients with AF are more likely to develop ..., Atrial fibrillation can be interpreted by noting: PR intervals that vary from complex to complex. an irregularly irregular rhythm and absent P waves. the presence of wide QRS complexes and a rapid rate. a regularly irregular rhythm with abnormal P waves. , Although simple, the CHADS 2 score does not include many common stroke risk factors, and its limitations have been highlighted by its non-inclusion of common stroke risk factors. Even patients classified as low risk by CHADS 2 in its original validation study have a stroke rate of 1.9% per year, which is close to the criterion of a cardiovascular event rate of …, Introduction. Atrial fibrillation (AF) is prevalent in 1-2% of the general population, and the number of affected individuals is expected to double or triple within the next two to three decades 1- 3 related to the ageing of the population, an inappropriate control of cardiovascular risk factors like hypertension and potentially better treatment options of other conditions like coronary ..., Atrial fibrillation is the most common rhythm disorder of the heart associated with a rapid and irregular beating of the upper chambers. Activation mapping remains the gold standard to diagnose ..., Researchers say smartwatches can detect heart conditions such as atrial fibrillation, but these instances should be confirmed by a medical professional ... A second electrophysiologist interpreted ..., Figure. Hypertension and atrial fibrillation (AF) axis in the cardiovascular disease continuum. HFpEF indicates heart failure with preserved ejection fraction; RAAS, renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system; SE, systemic embolism; and TIA, transient ischemic attack. Hypertension is very common in AF patients (Figure S1 in the online-only Data ..., Atrial fibrillation is the most common form of heart arrhythmia in the world. It is currently estimated that between 2.1 and 6.7 million Americans are currently living with atrial fibrillation, with the number trending upwards every year. Trending. Understanding Eliquis Drug Interactions: What You Need to Know., Major unmet needs in managing patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) are to track AF propensity, monitor therapeutic response, and ultimately predict AF episodes. We are disappointingly far from these goals because our basic tools in AF—atrial electrograms and their classic interpretation—provide limited actionable data on substrates, their ..., Abstract. Postoperative atrial fibrillation (POAF) after cardiac surgery remarkably remains the most prevalent event in perioperative cardiac surgery, having great clinical and economic implications. The purpose of this study is to present recommendations based on international evidence and adapted to our clinical practice for the perioperative ..., It is also worth noting that nebivolol and carvedilol do not reduce the stroke volume of the heart, which distinguishes them from other beta-blockers. ... Atrial fibrillation can be classified according to the degree of limitation in daily physical activity-as used by the EHRA (Wynn et al., 2014) (Table 4)., Jun 29, 2023 · Atrial fibrillation is an example of a heart arrhythmia. Heart failure (also called congestive heart failure, or CHF) is a condition in which the heart is unable to sufficiently pump or fill with blood. As a result, patients may experience trouble breathing, fatigue, and leg swelling. Heart failure can be acute, meaning it develops suddenly, or ... , Definition. Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a common heart rhythm disorder caused by degeneration of the electrical impulses in the upper cardiac chambers (atria) resulting in a change from an organized heart rhythm to a rapid, chaotic rhythm. The resulting arrhythmia is often rapid and irregular with no discernible pattern (known as irregularly ..., Atrial fibrillation is a type of abnormal heartbeat (arrhythmia) where the heart rate is irregular and too fast. It can cause symptoms such as a racing heart, heart failure and dizziness. It …, In atrial fibrillation or atrial flutter, the atria do not empty completely into the ventricles with each beat. Over time, some blood inside the atria may stagnate, and blood clots may form. Pieces of the clot may break off, often shortly after atrial fibrillation converts back to normal rhythm—whether spontaneously or because of treatment., Atrial fibrillation (A-fib) is an irregular heartbeat. It reduces your heart's ability to pump blood through your body. A-fib may come and go, or it may be a long-term condition. A-fib can cause blood clots, stroke, or heart failure. These conditions may become life-threatening. It is important to treat and manage A-fib to help prevent a blood ..., Atrial fibrillation can be interpreted by noting: Group of answer choices an irregularly irregular rhythm and absent P waves. a regularly irregular rhythm with abnormal P waves. the presence of wide QRS complexes and a rapid rate. PR intervals that vary from complex to complex. , 1. Decongestants. Over-the counter decongestants are medications that clear your sinuses when you're stuffed up or have a cold. While decongestants can be useful for cold symptom relief, they may not be ideal to use if you have atrial fibrillation. Many decongestants use pseudoephedrine and phenylephrine as ingredients., Recognition of ECG abnormalities was shown to vary greatly according to diagnosis, clinician experience, and frequency of ECG interpretation in a 1990 UK postal questionnaire by Macallan and colleagues. 5 In their analysis of the Screening for Atrial Fibrillation in the Elderly (SAFE) trial in 2007, Mant and colleagues 6 concluded that ..., Judge Amy Coney Barrett says her judicial philosophy is originalism, following in the footsteps of her mentor, Justice Antonin Scalia. What does that mean? Advertisement With their..., The biggest challenges for anesthesiologists in cardiac surgery for atrial fibrillation are dealing with a patient's limited heart functionality, low blood pressure and other conditions such as poor lung function. When ablation is performed via large veins in the groin as compared to open-chest approach, risks, surgical trauma, and bleeding ..., Antiarrhythmic medications have been available for nearly 100 years and remain a mainstay in the management of atrial fibrillation (AF). Goals of therapy with the use of these drugs include a reduction in the frequency and duration of episodes of arrhythmia as well an emerging goal of reducing mortality and hospitalizations associated with AF., Atrial fibrillation (AF), also called Afib, is a condition which causes an irregular and often rapid heart rate. It can lead to stroke and heart failure. AF is one of a group of heart rhythm conditions called arrhythmias, which are caused by changes to the heart's electrical impulses. In a healthy heart, regular electrical signals keep your ..., Introduction. As the most common clinical arrhythmia, Atrial fibrillation (AF) is influencing over 34 million people worldwide with the increase of risk of stroke, heart failure (HF) and dementia (1, 2), resulting in a tremendous public health burden ().Although catheter ablation has made substantial progress in the treatment of AF, its prevention has not been given adequate attention., Study with Quizlet and memorize flashcards containing terms like The QRS complex represents: ventricular depolarization. atrial repolarization. ventricular repolarization. atrial depolarization., Stroke volume × heart rate × systemic vascular resistance = end-diastolic pressure. blood pressure. cardiac output. ejection fraction., An accelerated junctional rhythm has a rate between _____ and, A variety of rate controlling agents and antiarrhythmic agents including ß-blockers, calcium channel blockers, digoxin, and amiodarone are commonly used to control Afib with RVR 4. Often, magnesium is seen being used as an adjunctive therapy, however, the benefit it provides in managing Afib with RVR has been debated., Atrial fibrillation is the most common pathologic tachyarrhythmia (only sinus tachycardia is more common). Prevalence of atrial fibrillation correlates strongly with age. Approximately 10% of individuals aged 80 years and above have atrial fibrillation, whereas the arrhythmia is unusual among persons younger than 50 years of age., In atrial fibrillation or atrial flutter, the atria do not empty completely into the ventricles with each beat. Over time, some blood inside the atria may stagnate, and blood clots may form. Pieces of the clot may break off, often shortly after atrial fibrillation converts back to normal rhythm—whether spontaneously or because of treatment., 1. Introduction. Atrial fibrillation is the most common sustained arrhythmia in the elderly. Atrial fibrillation is associated with a 3 to 5 times higher risk of stroke [1], and with a higher risk of heart failure, cardiac mortality, and total mortality [2], [3].Serum potassium, especially hypokalemia (< 3.5 mmol/l), is suggested to be associated with a higher risk of cardiovascular disease ..., In this video we'll be looking at how to interpret an EKG strip, specifically atrial flutter and atrial fibrillation. If you haven't already, you may want to watch our video on basic EKG interpretation first - it goes into more detailed steps of how to read an EKG strip and is a good refresher. First we'll go over a simplified 5-step ..., Eur Heart J 2020;Aug 29: [Epub ahead of print]. The following are key points to remember from the 2020 European Society of Cardiology (ESC) and European Association of Cardio-Thoracic Surgery (EACTS) guidelines for the diagnosis and management of atrial fibrillation (AF): "Clinical AF" is defined as symptomatic or asymptomatic AF that is ..., What is Atrial Fibrillation? Let's start with the basics and review the definition and meaning of atrial fibrillation. Simple Definition. Atrial Fibrillation (also called AFib, A-fib, or AF) is an irregular heart rhythm (arrhythmia) in which the upper chambers of the heart (atria) quiver or beat extremely fast.. Atrial fibrillation is the most common sustained arrhythmia in clinical practice., Atrial fibrillation requires treatment to convert the rhythm back to a normal sinus rhythm with one atrial contraction for every ventricular contraction. Normal sinus rhythm, in which the rate is 60 to 100 beats/minute, requires no treatment. Text Reference - p. 800. A patient has a heart rate of 150 beats per minute.