VIDEO: ATRIAL FLUTTER VS. ATRIAL FIBRILLATION



The video below shows an atrial flutter that occured due to valvular heart disease (the ventricular rate of this heart was controlled). Notice the rapid succession of identical, back-to-back atrial depolarizations.

On an ECG, an atrial flutter will have these identical 'irregularly regular' contractions with a characteristic SAWTOOTH appearance.

In contrast, atrial fibrillation gives an irregularly irregular heartbeat. There is no discrete/obvious P waves with irregularly spaced QRS complexes.


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