Stroke Risk
Atrial flutter is characterized by a strongly increased beat frequency of the atria. Since atrial flutter is accompanied by beat rates between 250 and 450 beats per minute, the individual heartbeats can no longer be coordinated. Instead of the blood being pumped from the atria into the ventricles in a targeted manner, the blood is swirled in the area of the atria.
In some places the blood is transported particularly fast, in other places it forms vortices and again where else a particularly slow blood flow occurs. This slow blood flow promotes the formation of blood clots. These are initially only small, but additionally impede the flow of blood in the atrium.
This in turn causes new turbulence. This creates a vicious circle that leads to the formation of larger blood clots (so-called thrombi). If these thrombi detach from the atrial wall, they can enter the left ventricle.
From there, the blood clots are easily transported to the aorta of the body. At the next junction, the thrombi either remain in the aorta or move with the blood flow through the carotid artery to the head. These clots now settle at narrow points in the blood vessels of the brain and block these vessels. As a result, the brain tissue behind them is no longer supplied with blood. This leads to a stroke.
