CS Atrial Fibrillation case study lab PDF

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Case Study- Dysrhythmia Overview A normal cardiac impulse begins in the sinoatrial (SA) node in the upper right atrium. It spreads over the atrial myocardium via interatrial and internodal pathways. At this point, the impulse pauses momentarily at the AV node to allow the atria to contract. It then spreads quickly through the Bundle of His, right and left bundle branches, and Purkinje fibers, resulting in ventricular contraction. This coordination between the atria and ventricular contractions allows the atria to empty additional blood into the ventricles before ventricular systole, increasing cardiac output by 10% to 25%. This additional volume is referred to as the "atrial kick." Dysrhythmias of the atria can lead to a loss of this atrial kick and thus a decrease in cardiac output. One such dysrhythmia is atrial fibrillation. Atrial fibrillation is characterized by a total disorganization of electrical atrial activity due to multiple ectopic foci resulting in loss of effective atrial contraction. Several risk factors can lead to atrial fibrillation and significant complications that can result from this dysrhythmia. The goals of treatment for atrial fibrillation include a decrease in ventricular response (to...