Ask the doctor: Why does my heart sometimes feel like it stops, then starts up again with a jerk?
In atrial fibrillation, the top parts of the heart (the atria) are beating erratically and very fast — much faster than the usual once-a-second of the normal heartbeat. Fortunately, a tollbooth called the atrioventricular (AV) node sits between the top and bottom chambers (the ventricles) of the heart. The AV node filters out some of the beats from the upper chambers. This allows the bottom chambers to pump blood at a more normal rate. The AV node is one reason why atrial fibrillation is not as serious as a rhythm problem in the ventricles.
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