Atrial Fibrillation in Spanish

What it means

Atrial fibrillation, also known as AFib or AF, is one of the most common types of arrhythmia, a problem with the rate or rhythm of the heartbeat. In AFib the heart beats irregularly and sometimes much faster than normal, and its upper and lower chambers do not work together as they should. The upper chambers (atria) contract in a chaotic manner, described as quivering. Symptoms can include extreme fatigue, heart palpitations, trouble breathing, chest pain, and dizziness or fainting, though some people have no symptoms. AFib may happen in brief episodes or be a permanent condition, and it can put a person at risk for stroke. Chest pain or signs of a stroke need urgent care; in the U.S., call 911.

Spanish term: Fibrilación auricular
Gender and article: feminine: la fibrilación auricular
Pronunciation: fee-bree-lah-SYOHN ow-ree-koo-LAR

Other Spanish terms	Where it is used	Note
FA	General	Abbreviation MedlinePlus en español uses after the full name; its encyclopedia article also lists FA among the alternative names.
fibriloaleteo auricular	General	Listed under 'Otros nombres' on the MedlinePlus en español topic page for fibrilación auricular.

MedlinePlus en español calls the condition fibrilación auricular and abbreviates it FA; its encyclopedia article lists FA among the alternative names. The noun is feminine (la fibrilación auricular), so a pronoun that refers to it is feminine too, as in the MedlinePlus sentence about people who do not know que la tienen. The aurículas are the upper chambers of the heart; the encyclopedia says that in FA they contract in a chaotic way or "tremble" (tiemblan).

Words that MedlinePlus en español uses with the term include arritmia (arrhythmia), palpitaciones cardiacas (heart palpitations), accidente cerebrovascular (stroke), medicamentos anticoagulantes (blood thinner medicines), cardioversión eléctrica and ablación con catéter (two procedures) and marcapasos (pacemaker). The closely related rhythm problem that English calls atrial flutter is aleteo auricular, and the topic page gives fibriloaleteo auricular under "Otros nombres".

Phrases for an appointment

What a patient or a clinician might say, in English and Spanish:

Who	English	Spanish
Patient	Sometimes I feel my heart pounding or skipping a beat.	A veces siento que el corazón me late con fuerza o se salta un latido.
Clinician	Do you get dizzy or short of breath when that happens?	¿Siente mareo o le falta el aire cuando eso ocurre?
Patient	Yes, and I have extreme fatigue, even when I rest.	Sí, y tengo una fatiga extrema, incluso cuando descanso.
Clinician	I am going to order an electrocardiogram to check your heart rhythm.	Voy a pedirle un electrocardiograma para revisar el ritmo de su corazón.
Clinician	The test shows atrial fibrillation, a type of arrhythmia.	La prueba muestra fibrilación auricular, un tipo de arritmia.
Patient	Does atrial fibrillation raise my risk of having a stroke?	¿La fibrilación auricular aumenta mi riesgo de sufrir un accidente cerebrovascular?
Patient	My mother had atrial fibrillation too. Can it run in families?	Mi madre también tenía fibrilación auricular. ¿Puede ser hereditaria?
Clinician	If you have chest pain or signs of a stroke, call 911 right away.	Si tiene dolor de pecho o señales de un accidente cerebrovascular, llame al 911 de inmediato.

In 9 languages

Language	Term
English	Atrial Fibrillation
Spanish (Español)	Fibrilación auricular
Chinese (中文)	心房顫動
Korean (한국어)	심방세동
Vietnamese (Tiếng Việt)	Rung nhĩ
Filipino (Tagalog)	Atrial Fibrillation
Portuguese (Português)	Fibrilação atrial
Thai (ภาษาไทย)	ภาวะหัวใจห้องบนสั่นพลิ้ว
Japanese (日本語)	心房細動

Where you'll see it

chartEOBmedical recordreferralprescription

Related ICD-10-CM category

ICD-10-CM code: I48 → Atrial fibrillation and flutter

Related terms

Your right to an interpreter in the United States

If English is not your primary language and you have difficulty communicating in English, you may need an interpreter or a translated document when you visit a doctor or dentist, go to the emergency room or pick up a prescription. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights states that two federal laws, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act, require programs that receive its funding to provide language access services free of charge.

You can ask when you make the appointment or at the front desk: "I need an interpreter, please." «Necesito un intérprete, por favor.»

More terms: Heart and circulation

All terms in this area: Heart and circulation — Corazón y circulación

Sources

This page is a language reference. It is not medical advice.