An Overview of Atrial Fibrillation

A brief, gender-neutral overview of what happens to the body during atrial fibrillation, including the causes and symptoms, as well as interventions and treatments. Atrial fibrillation (also called AFib or AF) is a quivering or irregular heartbeat.

“Normally, your heart contracts and relaxes to a regular beat. In AFib, the upper chambers of the heart, or the atria, beat irregularly. Because not enough blood is being pumped out of the atria, blood pools in the area. The pooled blood can clot – which can be extremely dangerous.”