Atrial kick

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]

The atrial kick is the augmentation of left ventricular filling that occurs with normal coordinated contraction of the atrium. The left atrial kick is lost when a patient is in atrial fibrillation as there is no coordinated atrial contraction. Loss of the atrial kick is associated with diminished filling of the left ventricle and reduced cardiac output.

Template:WH Template:WS