Atrial fibrillation (patient fact sheet)

Please note that all guidance is currently under review and some may be out of date. We recommend that you also refer to more contemporaneous evidence in the interim.

Download our fact sheet to provide your patients with easy to follow guidance on atrial fibrillation.

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Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a common and important disturbance of the heart’s electrical system.

In normal heart rhythm (known as sinus rhythm) the upper chambers of the heart (the atria) control the heartbeat. In AF, the electrical activity of the atria is disorganised, causing the atria to ‘flutter’, or in medical terms, ‘fibrillate’ (see Figure 1). The atrial rhythm becomes rapid and irregular, and this irregularity is passed on to the main pumping chambers. When AF occurs, the pulse becomes irregular and the heart is less efficient.