Atrial Tachycardia

Atrial Tachycardia is an abnormal heartbeat, or arrhythmia, that is caused by an abnormal firing of electrical signals in the atria.

In a normal heart beat, or normal sinus rhythm, an electrical impulse originates at the SA node which is located in the upper right atrium.  This electrical impulse travels through the atria to the AV node where there is a brief pause.  The AV node then transfers the electrical impulse to the ventricles which completes a heart beat.

Atrial tachycardia is an arrhythmia caused by an abnormal firing of electrical signals in the atria of the heart that interfere with electrical signals coming from the natural pacemaker of the heart (SA node). The rapid heartbeat caused by atrial tachycardia does not allow enough time for the heart to fill before it contracts so blood flow to the rest of the body is compromised which may lead to symptoms of dizziness, lightheadedness, unconsciousness, and cardiac arrest.