The auricle is the term for the upper chamber of the heart muscle that collects blood. The heart generally has two atria whose main mission is to promote the transport of blood circulation from the vena cava and the lungs to the ventricles. For its part, the right atrium receives the blood that comes from the superior vena cava and the inferior vena cava, while the left atrium is in relation to the four pulmonary veins. The left and right atria are separated by the interatrial septum.
The right atrium contains in its posterior wall an important structure known as the sinus node, it contains highly specialized cells capable of generating repeated depolarizations that act as a pacemaker that allows an automatic activity that determines the frequency with which the heart beats.
From the sinus node, the electrical impulse travels to the wall of both atria and later to the ventricles after a brief delay in conduction that occurs in a second node, the atrioventricular node.
The heart's pump activity takes place in two phases, diastole in which it fills with blood and systole in which it expels it. During diastole, blood passes from the atria to the ventricles. Once it is full, systole begins, which closes the atrioventricular valves, causing the blood not to return to the atria but to leave the heart through the arteries. aorta and pulmonary. As the ventricles contract in systole, the atria fill with blood to start a new cycle.
Within the group of diseases, pathologies, conditions or health problems of all kinds that can affect the atria, it is called atrial fibrillation. This refers to a very common chronic type arrhythmia characterized by being composed of disorganized atrial beats.
This situation is dangerous to the extent that it increases the risk of having a stroke. It should also be taken into account that those who are more prone to fibrillation are people with these characteristics:
- They have problems with their weight, either because they are overweight or obese.
- They suffer from type 2 diabetes.
- They have what is known as high blood pressure.
- No less relevant is that there are also risks for those with thyroid-related health problems.
- Do not overlook that, in the same way, those who have some type of heart disease or who have an injury to the valves of the heart are more likely to suffer it.
