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Arrhythmias


About this topic


Your heart has an electrical system that controls each heartbeat. The signal starts at the top of the heart and moves to the bottom. This signal tells your heart to squeeze and pump blood. The signal repeats with each heartbeat. The heart has 2 upper chambers called atria and 2 lower chambers called ventricles. These chambers beat in a coordinated way when the heart is healthy. This lets the heart pump blood effectively to the rest of the body. ‚  
There are times when the electrical pulses do not flow as they should and go the wrong way or are blocked. This is an arrhythmia. It may cause the heart to beat abnormally. When this happens, the heart does not pump the blood out to the body effectively. ‚  
Treatment of abnormal heartbeats depends on the cause. Choices may include drugs or lifestyle changes. Sometimes, procedures like a pacemaker or an implantable heart defibrillator are needed. Other times, surgery is used to treat the problem. In some cases, no treatment is needed. ‚  


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What are the causes?


  • Heart attack or health problem that damages or changes the hearts electrical system
  • Health problems like high blood pressure or diabetes
  • Recent heart surgery
  • Smoking, caffeine, too much alcohol use, drug abuse
  • Some drugs, supplements, or herbals
  • Stress
  • Electrical shock
  • Birth defect
  • Body chemicals like thyroid hormone, potassium, or calcium are out of balance. This may happen if you have an illness like kidney disease. Too much throwing up or loose stool can also cause this problem. So can some drugs you take.

What can make this more likely to happen?


Older adults are more likely to have arrhythmias. You are more at risk if you have heart problems like heart disease or were born with a heart defect. Health problems like diabetes, sleep apnea, or high blood pressure also raise your risk for an arrhythmia. So does using street drugs or having surgery on your heart. ‚  

What are the main signs?


  • A heartbeat that is too fast ¢ ˆ ’ this is tachycardia.
  • A heartbeat that is too slow ¢ ˆ ’ this is bradycardia.
  • Feeling like your heart skips a beat or flutters
  • Feeling weak, dizzy, lightheaded, or fainting
  • Chest pain
  • Short of breath
  • Sweating
  • Feeling anxious
  • Not able to lie flat
  • Swelling in the arms or legs
  • Some people have no signs

How does the doctor diagnose this health problem?


Your doctor will do an exam and ask about your history. The doctor may listen for a heart murmur or look for signs of some other health problem. The doctor may order: ‚  
  • Lab tests
  • Chest x-ray
  • Echocardiogram
  • Electrocardiogram (EKG)
  • A Holter or event monitor to check your heart signals
  • Stress test
  • Electrophysiology studies
  • Tilt table test
  • Cardiac cath

How does the doctor treat this health problem?


Your doctor will treat your arrhythmia based on what is causing it. You may need to take drugs to make your heart beat normal. If drugs do not help the problem, your doctor may need to do a procedure or surgery like: ‚  
  • Pacemaker
  • Cardioversion
  • Automatic implantable cardioverter defibrillator (AICD)
  • Cardiac cath with ablation
  • Maze surgery
  • Bypass grafting surgery
  • Vagal maneuvers

What lifestyle changes are needed?


  • Eat a healthy diet.
  • Avoid eating foods high in fats and cholesterol.
  • Stop smoking.
  • Limit or stop caffeine.
  • Drink lots of fluids.

What drugs may be needed?


The doctor may order drugs to: ‚  
  • Keep your heartbeat normal and steady
  • Prevent or treat blood clots
  • Treat the condition that causes arrhythmia
  • Control the rate of your heartbeat

What problems could happen?


  • Heart failure
  • Chest pain
  • Heart attack
  • Stroke
  • Damage to the heart, brain, or other organs
  • Sudden death

What can be done to prevent this health problem?


  • Keep a healthy weight.
  • If you are overweight, lose weight.
  • Exercise more often. This will improve your bodys blood flow.
  • Limit beer, wine, and mixed drinks (alcohol).
  • Avoid stress.
  • Stay away from drugs that make the heartbeat faster, like those used for colds and cough.
  • Avoid caffeine or energy drinks.
  • Avoid street drugs like cocaine or methamphetamines.

When do I need to call the doctor?


Activate the emergency medical system right away if you have signs of a heart attack or stroke. Call 911 in the United States or Canada. The sooner treatment begins, the better your chances for recovery. Call for emergency help right away if you have: ‚  
  • Signs of heart attack:
    • Chest pain
    • Trouble breathing
    • Fast heartbeat
    • Feeling dizzy
  • Signs of stroke:
    • Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm, or leg, especially on one side of the body
    • Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding
    • Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes
    • Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination
    • Sudden severe headache with no known cause

Call your doctor if you have: ‚  
  • Problems with breathing. These include change in shortness of breath, wheezing, need to sleep sitting up to be able to breathe, or other breathing troubles.
  • Blue or gray skin color
  • Sweating
  • Pain, pressure, tightness, or heaviness in your chest, arm, neck, or jaw
  • Very fast heartbeat
  • Trouble breathing with exercise
  • Gas pains or heartburn
  • Bleeding
  • You are not feeling better in 2 to 3 days or you are feeling worse

Where can I learn more?


American Heart Association ‚  
http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Conditions/Arrhythmia/AboutArrhythmia/About-Arrhythmia_UCM_002010_Article.jsp ‚  
KidsHealth ‚  
http://kidshealth.org/teen/diseases_conditions/heart/arrhythmias.html ‚  
National Heart Lung and Blood Institute ‚  
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/arr/ ‚  

Consumer Information Use and Disclaimer


This information is not specific medical advice and does not replace information you receive from your health care provider. This is only a brief summary of general information. It does NOT include all information about conditions, illnesses, injuries, tests, procedures, treatments, therapies, discharge instructions or life-style choices that may apply to you. You must talk with your health care provider for complete information about your health and treatment options. This information should not be used to decide whether or not to accept your health care providers advice, instructions or recommendations. Only your health care provider has the knowledge and training to provide advice that is right for you. ‚  

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