HealthCentral: Atrial Flutter vs. Atrial Fibrillation | What’s the Difference?

HealthCentral recently interviewed cardiac electrophysiologist Michael Shehata, MD, director of the Interventional Electrophysiology Laboratory in the Smidt Heart Institute at Cedars-Sinai, for two articles about atrial fibrillation (AFib) and atrial flutter—two types of abnormal heart rhythms, or arrhythmias.

Shehata told HealthCentral that with AFib, the heart races in a disorganized, chaotic rhythm and that atrial flutter is a similar but less common condition also affecting the atria, or upper chambers of the heart.  

“Atrial flutter is a regular circuit within the atria,” said Shehata, who also is director of the Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiology Fellowship Training Program in the Smidt Heart Institute. “That means there’s an area of the upper chamber where the tissue stretches or scars in such a way that it forms a very organized electrical path. It overdrives your natural heart rhythm.”

He said it is possible to have both AFib and atrial flutter, which can lead to blood clots and stroke if left untreated. 

“One isn’t worse than the other,” Shehata told HealthCentral. “They’re both dangerous.”

While medications are available to help control AFib and atrial flutter, Shehata recommended eating healthy meals and getting regular exercise as another approach.

“We always encourage patients to do their part and modify their lifestyle to prevent arrhythmias from coming back,” Shehata said.

Shehata told HealthCentral that getting a good night’s sleep is another way to avoid triggering an arrhythmia. But he noted that AFib can disrupt sleep, worsening the condition. 

“Those nighttime episodes can wake people up out of a sound sleep and keep them from sleeping well,” he said. “It’s a vicious cycle.”

Click here and here to read the complete articles from HealthCentral.