Atrial Flutter

1 medicine

Atrial flutter is a fast, regular abnormal heart rhythm starting in the upper chambers of the heart, causing palpitations, breathlessness, and fatigue.

Tambocor

Flecainide

50/100mg

Tambocor is a heart blood pressure medication containing Flecainide, available as 50/100mg tablets.

from $1.47 / tablet View

Key facts

  • Atrial flutter is a rapid, organized rhythm problem where the upper chambers beat around 250 to 350 times a minute, typically causing the lower chambers to beat at half that rate.
  • It is closely related to atrial fibrillation but follows a more predictable, circuit-like pattern, often driven by prior heart surgery, structural heart disease, or lung conditions like COPD.
  • Common symptoms include palpitations, shortness of breath, reduced exercise tolerance, and light-headedness; it raises the risk of blood clots forming in the heart.
  • Treatment includes antiarrhythmics such as flecainide, electrical cardioversion, and catheter ablation, alongside stroke-risk reduction.

Why it happens

Atrial flutter arises when electrical signals in the upper chambers get caught in a self-sustaining circuit instead of firing in the usual steady pattern. It shares many of the same underlying drivers as atrial fibrillation, including structural heart disease, prior heart surgery, high blood pressure, and lung conditions such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. It can also occur alongside atrial fibrillation in the same person.

Recognizing the rhythm and when to act

Common symptoms include palpitations, shortness of breath, reduced exercise tolerance, and light-headedness. Some people notice little beyond an unusual awareness of their heartbeat; others feel markedly unwell. Atrial flutter raises the risk of blood clots forming in the heart, so anyone experiencing a sudden racing pulse, chest tightness, or fainting should seek prompt medical attention.

Restoring and maintaining normal rhythm

Treatment focuses on slowing the ventricular rate, restoring sinus rhythm, and reducing clot risk. Medicines from the heart and blood pressure group are central to management. Antiarrhythmic agents such as flecainide may be used to maintain normal rhythm after the acute episode has been addressed. Electrical cardioversion and catheter ablation are also established options when long-term rate control proves difficult, and anticoagulation is considered for anyone at meaningful stroke risk.

This page is educational and does not replace advice from a doctor or pharmacist who knows your health history.