Vishakha Walzde

Most commonly, the heart rate will be unusually fast with this condition; but it is possible for the heart rate to be within accepted limits or slower and still be in atrial fibrillation.

You can measure your heart rate by feeling the pulse in your wrist or neck. A normal heart rate, when you are resting, should be between 60 and 100 beats a minute. In atrial fibrillation, it may be over 140 beats a minute.

Atrial fibrillation is defined in various ways, depending on how it affects you:

When the heart beats normally, its muscular walls contract (tighten and squeeze) to force blood out and around the body. They then relax, so the heart can fill with blood again. This process is repeated every time the heart beats.

Atrial fibrillation occurs when abnormal electrical impulses suddenly start firing in the atria (upper chambers of the heart).

These impulses override the heart's natural pacemaker, which can no longer control the rhythm of the heart. The atria contract randomly and sometimes so fast that the heart muscle cannot relax properly between contractions. This reduces the heart's efficiency and performance and causes a highly irregular pulse rate.

Atrial fibrillation can lead to a number of problems, including:

Some people with atrial fibrillation have no symptoms and are completely unaware that their heart rate is irregular.

Find out more about the symptoms of atrial fibrillation

Atrial fibrillation is the most common heart rhythm disturbance and affects up to 800,000 people in the UK.

The cause of atrial fibrillation is not fully understood, but it tends to occur in certain groups of people and may be triggered by certain situations, such as drinking excessive amounts of alcohol or smoking.

The condition can affect adults of any age or gender but:

Atrial fibrillation is more likely to occur in people with other conditions, like:

Find out more about the causes of atrial fibrillation and how it's diagnosed

Atrial fibrillation is generally not life threatening, many people live normal healthy lives with this condition, but it can be uncomfortable and often needs treatment.

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A PFO closure device is moved through the vein to the heart, and specifically to the location of the heart wall defect. Once in the correct location, the PFO closure device is formed so that it straddles each side of the hole.