when the normal rhythmic contractions of the atria (chambers of the heart) are replaced by rapid, irregular twitching of the muscular walls

sounds or murmurs heard on auscultation, especially abnormal ones

a pathologic accumulation of air in tissues or organs, which causes abnormal swelling of body tissue

a condition in which the heart cannot pump enough blood to the body’s other organs

a cup-like, passive soft tissue structure that is part of the structure of a heart valve; opens during pumping and closes at other times. Thus preventing backward blood flow