Atrial Rhythm

Does anybody know what wandering atrial pacemaker is?

What is its significance, if any?

can it cause an irregular rhythym?

Thanks.

[va_tony]

Just google "wandering atrial pacemaker" and you'll find a number of sites with definitions.  Here's one defintion (from a Merck site):

"Wandering atrial pacemaker (multifocal atrial rhythm) is an irregularly irregular rhythm caused by the random discharge of multiple ectopic atrial foci. By definition, heart rate is ≤ 100 beats/min. This arrhythmia most typically occurs in patients who have a pulmonary disorder and are hypoxic, acidotic, theophylline-intoxicated, or a combination. On ECG, P-wave morphology differs from beat to beat and there are 3 or more distinct P-wave morphologies. The presence of P waves distinguishes wandering atrial pacemaker from atrial fibrillation."