The incidence in those under 50 years of age is 5/100000 patient years but this rises to 500/100000 patient years in those who are older than 80 years of age. Atrial flutter is also, like atrial fibrillation, more common in the elderly. If the clot is dislodged anywhere else it is called a systemic embolism.Ītrial flutter is significantly less common than Atrial fibrillation. Often it is poorly tolerated because there is a stepwise increase in the heart rate and it often stays fixed at 150/minĪs the atria are beating so fast, they are not working effectively and therefore blood which would be pushed out may stagnate and clot and that clot can get dislodged and go to the brain or the rest of the body and block the blood supply to important organs. In patients who are taking medications such as beta blockers or calcium blockers the impulses reaching the ventricles may be reduced even more so the heart rate can be even lower than 150/min but basically as doctors, whenever we see a heart rate of about 150 in a patient complaining of heart palpitations, we think of atrial flutter as the likely underlying heart rhythm disturbance.Ītrial flutter can cause abrupt and unpredictable onset of symptoms – These include: Fast heart palpitations, breathlessness, light-headedness, fatigue and exercise intolerance.
In atrial flutter, the atria contract at 300 beats per minute and every other impulse goes down into the ventricles and therefore the ventricles beat at 150 beats per minute. Atrial flutter is an abnormal heart rhythm.
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