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Index of Diseases and Conditions: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Arrhythmia

Has your heart ever skipped a beat? Sometimes it really does if you have an arrhythmia. An arrhythmia is any disorder of your heart rate or rhythm. It means that your heart beats too quickly, too slowly or with an irregular pattern. When the heart beats faster than normal, it is called tachycardia. When the heart beats too slowly, it is called bradycardia.

Many factors can affect your heart's rhythm, such as having had a heart attack, blood chemistry imbalances or abnormal hormone levels. Some substances or medicines may also cause arrhythmias.

Symptoms of arrhythmias include

Your doctor can run tests to find out if you have an arrhythmia. Treatment to restore a normal heart rhythm may include medicines, an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) or a pacemaker.

Cardiac Arrhythmia on Wikipedia

A '''cardiac arrhythmia''', also called cardiac dysrhythmia, is a disturbance in the regular rhythm of the heartbeat. Several forms of cardiac arrhythmia are life-threatening and a medical emergency.

Frequency too high/low

A rhythm of the heart at a rate of more than 100 beats/minute is considered a tachycardia. If the left ventricle of the heart experience tachycardia for a sustained period of time, there can be deleterious effects. Individuals may sense a tachycardia as a pounding sensation of the heart; this is known as "palpitations". However, strictly speaking, palpitations are any sensation of an individual's own heart beat, and can occur at rates less than 100 beats/minute. The causes of tachycardias are numerous, and include stress, ingested or injected substances (ie: caffeine, alcohol, hyperthyroidism, or various drugs). Individuals who have a tachycardia are often advised to limit or remove exposure to any causative agent. A slow rhythm, known as bradycardia (less than 60 beats/min), is usually not life threatening, but may cause symptoms. Either arrhythmia requires medical attention to evaluate the risks associated with the arrhythmia.

Fibrillation

A more serious variety of arrhythmia is known as fibrillation. Fibrillation occurs when the heart muscle begins a quivering motion instead of a normal, healthy pumping rhythm. Atrial fibrillation is the quivering, chaotic motion in the upper chambers of the heart, known as the atria. Atrial fibrillation is often due to serious underlying medical conditions, and should be evaluated by a physician. It is not typically a medical emergency. If fibrillation occurs in the ventricle (heart) (lower chambers) of the heart, it is always a medical emergency. If left untreated, ventricular fibrillation can lead to death within minutes. When a heart goes into ventricular fibrillation, effective pumping of the ...   [ Read More ]

External Resources

Atrial Fibrillation - My Heart, The Doctors, And Me - Atrial fibrillation, atrial flutter, and arrhythmias. A patient's report.

Endocardial Solutions, Inc. (ESI) - Advanced electrophysiology diagnostic tools for the treatment of patients with arrhythmias.

Cardima, Inc. - Provide tools to the medical community for the diagnosis and treatment of cardiac arrhythmias.

Heart Problems: Arrhythmias including atrial fibrillation, mitral valve prolapse - Presents President George Bush's case involving hyperthyroidism, symptoms, causes, and treatment. From AllThyroid.org.

St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital Center's Arrhythmia Service - QandAs, electrophysiology information, news, diagnostic procedures, therapeutic procedures and an explanation is presented.

Continuing Education: New Trends in Arrhythmia Management - A list of the program objectives, web cast, support and evaluation.

Health Factsheets From BUPA - Explaining the causes, symptoms and treatment of arrhythmia, available for down loading in Adobe acrobat format.

King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre - Explanation, diagnosing and treatment of arrhythmias.

Arrhythmia Online - A Canadian web site where physicians can share information on the diagnosis and treatment of this disorder. Registration required.

Einthoven - Continuing education and advances in cardiac arrhythmias. Includes news, key papers, case histories and manuals.

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