These beats usually display a right bundle branch block (BBB), which indicates the right ventricle may not be conducting electricity through the heart as effectively.Ī-fib with rapid ventricular response: Also known as A-fib with RVR, this type means the heart is beating faster than 100 beats per minute. Examples of some A-fib types a doctor can identify by EKG include the following:Īshman’s phenomenon: A type of A-fib where there is a long pause between heartbeats, then several beats that are close together. Some are determined by their symptoms while others can be detected on an EKG. Several different subtypes of A-fib exist. Share on Pinterest A doctor can diagnose some types of A-fib by looking at an EKG. When an EKG measures how many beats per minute, the device is measuring how many times the ventricle beats each minute, or the number of QRS complexes.īecause an A-fib rhythm can change from beat to beat, an EKG in real time may read varying numbers, such as 72 to 84 to 60 all within the span of several seconds. However, an A-fib rhythm is usually irregular while sinus rhythm is consistent and even. Fibrillatory waves can look a lot like P waves, and this can make an A-fib rhythm look like sinus rhythm. These waves are a sign of the atria pulsing out of time. Fibrillatory waves: Some people with A-fib will have fibrillatory waves on their EKG.This irregular rhythm is what can lead to heart palpitations and other A-fib symptoms. Irregular rhythm: People with A-fib sometimes have a rhythm that is described as “irregularly irregular.” The rhythm isn’t even, like sinus rhythm, but it has a pattern to it.When a person has A-fib, the atria don’t usually contract from this signal, so a doctor won’t usually view P waves before a QRS. Absence of P waves: The atria typically contract due to a signal, which appears as the “P” wave that an EKG measures.While there are variations on an A-fib EKG, some examples of these variations include: Each should look like the previous and will be as evenly spaced with each other.Īn EKG of a person with A-fib is very different in its appearance when compared with sinus rhythm. When a person has a normal sinus rhythm on their EKG, these beats are in a regular, orderly rhythm. T Waves: The T wave comes after each QRS complex and represents the brief moment when the heart relaxes before starting to squeeze again.This will distribute blood throughout the body. QRS Complex: The QRS complex is when the ventricles, the lower chambers of the heart, contract.They represent the time when the atria, the upper chambers of the heart, are squeezing blood through the heart. P Waves: P waves are the first “bump” on the EKG.Sinus rhythm may look like a lot of little bumps, but each relays an important action in the heart.Ī few key aspects of the EKG exist, and these will often look different when compared to an EKG of a person that has A-fib: These may have abnormalities in people with A-fib.Ī “normal” EKG is one that shows what is known as sinus rhythm. Share on Pinterest An EKG displays P Waves, T Waves, and the QRS Complex.

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