Every human heart has four partitions namely Left Auricle, Left Ventricle, Right Auricle and Right Ventricle. Auricles are chambers that carry oxygenated blood to all parts of the body and ventricles are one that transports deoxygenated or impure blood from various parts of your body to the heart. All the four chambers will contract and expand rhythmically to pump blood. This in turn produces heartbeat.
What Happens During Heartbeat?
There is an inbuilt timer in your right auricle called sinoatrial node which creates new electrical impulse at defined intervals. The generated impulse would make the auricles to contract which in turn forces the blood to ventricles via one way valve. The same impulse will spread across AV node found in the lower end of right auricle. Here the impulse will be slightly delayed. Again the impulse will be transported to the ventricles through Atrioventricular node called AV bundle. Subsequently, the ventricles will contract pushing the blood to arteries through valves.
There is a continuous sequence of these events that maintains predefined rhythm. And the contraction and expansion of auricles and ventricles in systemic pattern gives you the heartbeat. Your heart beat is 60-96 per minute normally which goes up when you are doing exercise or emotionally disturbed. If the normal rhythm of the heartbeat is disturbed it would cause rapid heartbeat and both the auricles (RA and LA) would beat irregularly which subsequently would disturb the normal motion of ventricles causing atrial fibrillation.
Atrial fibrillation would cause palpitation and shortness of breath. The auricles receive erratic electrical impulse and accordingly beat in disorganized fashion causing abnormal heartbeat. Any irregular heartbeat would definitely affect the normal blood flow to the body causing weakness. It is quite common for all of us to get palpitation for few seconds. But if atrial fibrillation is frequent you need to seek medical help. This can be treated with medications and implanting devices to control electric impulses.
Symptoms :
Not all the atrial fibrillation would produce obvious symptoms. There are some people who may not feel any signs of abnormal heartbeat and the condition would be found during physical examination. Atrial fibrillation can produce signs of palpitation (racing/irregular heartbeat), fatigue, dizziness and confusion. Since normal blood flow from the auricles is affected it would cause general weakness and fatigue. For some people it can cause tightness in chest and shortness of breath.