Your heart is an incredibly dynamic organ. Capable of recognizing and responding to changes in your behavior and physical activity, a healthy heart can adjust its function to meet most demands placed upon it. As we age, damage to your heart lead...
According to the American Academy of Family Physicians and the American College of Physicians, atrial fibrillation is the most common form of arrhythmia, or abnormal heart rate, in adults. Furthermore, according to the Centers for Disease Control...
Atrial fibrillation is a condition of an irregular and rapid heartbeat that results in poor blood flow throughout the body. In a normal heart, electrical impulses originating in the right atria signal the two upper chambers (called the atria) and...
Ventricular fibrillation is a life-threatening condition in which the heart loses its normal rhythm and quivers uncontrollably. In ventricular fibrillation, the heart is no longer able to pump blood out of the lower chambers or ventricles....
The heart normally maintains a steady rhythm or beat. Illnesses and diseases can interrupt this rhythm. There are many different types of irregular heart beats, or arrhythmias. One type is called ventricular fibrillation. The heart's two lower...
Maintenance of normal heart rate and heart rhythm depend, in part, on the balance of electrolytes in your body. Not surprisingly, high or low levels of these vital nutrients upset the conduction system of your heart, leading to or worsening...
Atrial fibrillation is a condition in which nerve impulses that regulate heart rate become irregular and cause a disorganized heart rhythm in the atria -- the upper chambers of the heart. This condition occurs in 3 to 5 percent of people over age...
Atrial fibrillation is a condition of irregular heartbeats that causes poor blood flow to the body. Symptoms include heart palpitations, shortness of breath, chest pain, confusion and weakness. Atrial fibrillation may be caused by previous...
According to the American Heart Association, during atrial fibrillation the heart's two small upper chambers (the atria) quiver instead of beating effectively, causing blood to not pump completely out of them, so it may pool and clot. Patients...
Vitamin C, a water soluble essential nutrient, is one of your body's most important antioxidant substances and also contributes to the formation of connective tissues. Atrial fibrillation, a condition characterized by an irregular rhythm of...
Caffeine is among the most widely consumed stimulants in the world. According to Medline Plus of the National Institutes of Health, caffeine has many effects on the body, including central nervous system stimulation, which can make you more alert...
Atrial fibrillation is the most common irregular heart rhythm, according to the Cleveland Clinic. During atrial fibrillation, many different impulses rapidly fire at once, causing a very fast, chaotic rhythm in the atria. The treatment goals...
The sinoatrial node regulates each heartbeat by sending an electrical impulse that spreads through the right and left atria, or chambers in the heart, causing them to contract and force blood into the ventricles. The ventricles then contract and...
Atrial fibrillation is an irregular, rapid heartbeat that prevents your heart from pumping adequate amounts of blood to your body. According to the American Heart Association, 2.2 million Americans have this heart disorder. Because atrial...
Atrial fibrillation is a common heart condition. It occurs when the heart muscle does not properly contract and push the blood out of the heart's two upper chambers. Instead of a forceful contraction, the heart may flutter or not contact fully. It...
Atrial fibrillation is an irregular heart rhythm in which the heart quivers instead of beating regularly. This occurs because the command center of the heart fails to coordinate activity with the pumping center. People may thus experience...
Ventricular fibrillation refers to a heart rhythm disorder in which the heart beats at a fast and erratic pace. The Mayo Clinic says that signs of ventricular fibrillation include chest pain, dizziness, nausea, shortness of breath and a fast...
Ventricular Fibrillation (V-Fib) occurs when the lower chambers of the heart do not fill with blood, but do not empty. The National Institute of Health (NIH) describes V-fib as twitching or quivering of heart muscle fibers, which renders the heart...
Episodes of atrial fibrillation, which involve a rapid heartbeat and poor blood flow, can be caused by dietary and lifestyle factors. Treatment usually involves medications that alter your heart's electrical impulses, but you can also prevent...
Atril fibrillation, or a fib, is the most common irregular heart rhythm. It can be related to heart disease, stress, excessive caffeine or alcohol use or electrolyte imbalances. When the heart is in a fib, it is not beating efficiently and is...
Atrial fibrillation (AF), also called A Fib, is an irregular, usually rapid heart rhythm (arrhythmia), that originates in the upper area (atria) of the heart due to abnormal electrical cardiac impulses that make the heart "quiver." Consequently,...
Atrial fibrillation represents one of the most common forms of arrhythmia or irregular heartbeat. According to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, atrial fibrillation occurs when the electrical signals that govern heart rate and rhythm...
Atrial fibrillation, or A-fib, is a heart condition in which your heartbeat is fast or chaotic and an insufficient amount of blood is pumped to your body. If you have A-fib, your doctor may encourage certain types of exercise. Although,...
Atrial fibrillation is characterized by an irregular and unusually fast heart rate. A normal resting heart rate ranges from 60 to 100 beats per minute; someone with atrial fibrillation often has a heart rate of 140 or more beats per minute. Atrial...
Atrial fibrillation is a condition in which the the atria, which are the top two chambers of the heart, beat erratically. The purpose of the atria is to propel blood into the ventricles, which pump blood to the lungs for oxygenation and also pump...
If you are a ventricular fibrillation (VF) survivor or have other heart problems, you have a high risk of experiencing another episode of the "disorganized" or extremely irregular heartbeat. To be prepared for future situations, it is highly...
Atrial fibrillation, also known as cardiac arrhythmia or irregular heartbeat, occurs when your heart's upper chambers beat out of rhythm with the lower chambers. You may experience heart palpitations, shortness of breath, a rapid drop in blood...
Atrial fibrillation is an abnormal heartbeat, or arrhythmia, that is characterized by the rapid beating of the upper two chambers of the heart, or the atria. Atrial fibrillation is the most common arrhythmia and can lead to heart failure, heart...
If you feel your heart racing and you become lightheaded and short of breath, you may be having an attack of atrial fibrillation, also known as cardiac arrhythmia. This condition occurs when your heart's upper and lower chambers beat out of synch....
Mitral stenosis is a vavular heart disease denoting the narrowing of the heart's mitral valve. Learn more about mitral stenosis and the heart in this health video.
