What happens if my heart rhythm accelerates too much? It all depends on whether the ventricles or atria are beating wildly. With very different consequences.
Fibrillation is a heart rhythm disorder that causes rapid and irregular contractions of the heart chambers i.e. atria and ventricles.
These contractions are ineffective from a hemodynamic point of view, this means that the heart in fibrillation is not able to pump blood properly.
In the event that the anomaly involves the ventricles, whose task is to send blood into circulation, the consequences are very serious and cardiocirculatory arrest can occur.
Ventricular fibrillation, fortunately rare, is in fact responsible for many sudden cardiac deaths.
Atrial fibrillation, one of the most frequent arrhythmias, is less dangerous, although it should certainly not be underestimated. There are three different forms. Let’s see below what are the characteristics of each.
| Type of atrial fibrillation | Features |
|---|---|
| Paroxysmal | Regresses spontaneously |
| Persistent | Thanks to the use of medication or electrical cardioversion, it is possible to restore the correct heart rhythm |
| Permanent | It is chronic and resists all therapies |
If others lose their rhythm
With its 300-600 beats (uncoordinated) per minute, atrial fibrillation reduces the efficiency of the heart pump. But it generally doesn’t put your life at risk.
An episode can last a few moments or a few days, or years. Only if the fibrillation persists for a long time with a particularly high frequency is it possible that heart failure will eventually set in.
In most cases the inadequate passage of blood in the ventricles and, from here, in circulation, involves a reduced supply of oxygen to the tissues, with the appearance of weakness, breathlessness, fatigue, dizziness and fainting, difficulty breathing.
Links with thrombosis
The worst danger of atrial fibrillation is called thrombosis. Too fast and irregular beats determine, in the atrial chambers, a stagnation of blood that favors coagulation.
The thrombi that form can, at best, dissolve spontaneously. But they can also fragment and enter into circles. And, carried by the bloodstream, reach the peripheral arteries occluding them (embolism).
Ischemia in the limbs and heart attack or, more frequently, stroke can thus occur: depending on whether or not the cause of fibrillation is a valvular disease, the risk of brain events in those who suffer from it, in fact, increases from 2 to 17 times.
The importance of anticoagulant therapy
To minimize the likelihood of incurring these serious complications, a timely diagnosis is necessary, not always easy since, often, atrial fibrillation does not show signs of its presence.
If the arrhythmia has already been present for two or more days, it is essential that an anticoagulant therapy is started immediately which, by making the blood more fluid, prevents the formation of thrombi inside the atria.
Therapy to be performed, under close medical supervision, regardless of the approach that will be decided to restore normal heart rhythm.
Joycelyn Elders is the author and creator of EmpowerEssence, a health and wellness blog. Elders is a respected public health advocate and pediatrician dedicated to promoting general health and well-being.
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