Atrial flutter may be a sequela of open heart surgery. After cardiac surgery, atrial flutter may be re-entrant as a result of natural barriers, atrial incisions, and scar. Some patients develop atypical left atrial flutter after pulmonary vein isolation for atrial fibrillation.
No clearly defined genetic conditions cause atrial flutter, but in many cases there is likely an underlying genetic susceptibility to acquiring it. Genome-wide association studies have identified genes associated with atrial flutter.
Rarely, mitral valve prolapse or acute myocardial infarction has been associated with atrial flutter. The following conditions are also associated with atrial flutter:
Hypoxia
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
Pulmonary embolism
Hyperthyroidism
Pheochromocytoma
Diabetes
Electrolyte imbalance
Alcohol consumption
Obesity
Digitalis toxicity
Myotonic dystrophy in childhood (rare)
For more on the etiology of atrial flutter, read here.
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Any views expressed above are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect the views of WebMD or Medscape.
Cite this: Ali A. Sovari, Yasmine S. Ali, Shabir Bhimji, et. al. Fast Five Quiz: Can You Answer These Challenging Cardiology Questions? - Medscape - Mar 13, 2017.
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