Final answer:
Atrial flutter is a rapid but regular heart rhythm, while atrial fibrillation is a rapid and disorganized rhythm leading to an irregular heart rate. Atrial flutter involves organized electrical impulses, whereas atrial fibrillation has erratic signaling causing the atria to quiver. Both are supraventricular tachycardias, and specific treatments differ.
Step-by-step explanation:
The conditions of atrial flutter and atrial fibrillation (AFib) are both types of supraventricular tachycardias, which are abnormal fast heart rhythms originating above the ventricles.
Atrial flutter is characterized by a rapid, but regular, rhythm. The electrical impulses travel in an organized circular pattern within the atria, typically at a rate of 300 beats per minute, but only every second or fourth impulse is conducted to the ventricles, resulting in a ventricular heart rate that is usually less than the atrial rate.
In contrast, atrial fibrillation is marked by a rapid, disorganized electrical activity within the atria, leading to an irregular and often rapid ventricular rate. This erratic electrical signaling in AFib results in the atria quivering rather than contracting normally. This can lead to blood clots, stroke, and heart failure if not properly managed.
External Automated Defibrillators (EADs) are important in treating ventricular fibrillation, a more critical condition where ventricles do not pump blood effectively.
Treatment includes applying a charge to the heart using special paddles to establish a normal sinus rhythm. However, EADs are generally not used in atrial arrhythmias like atrial flutter and AFib unless they have caused a secondary life-threatening problem like ventricular fibrillation.