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 care is needed at home?
- Ask your doctor what you need to do when you go home. Make sure you ask questions if you do not understand what the doctor says. This way you will know what you need to do.
- Take your drugs as ordered by the doctor. Check with your doctor before taking any over-the-counter drugs, nutritional supplements, or cold and allergy drugs.
- Work with your doctor to keep your blood pressure and cholesterol under control.
- Learn how to check your pulse.
What follow-up care is needed?
- Your doctor may ask you to make visits to the office to check on your progress. Be sure to keep these visits.
- Your doctor may suggest you visit a heart rehab center for more care.
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
Will physical activity be limited?
Ask your doctor what activities are good for you. Exercise is good for your overall health. ‚
What changes to diet are needed?
- Eat a healthy diet. Choose more fruits and vegetables.
- Avoid eating foods high in fats and cholesterol.
- Eat foods low in fat like lean meats and poultry
- Eat food made of whole grains like breads and cereals.
- Make foods using canola oil and olive oil.
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
Teach Back: Helping You Understand
The Teach Back Method helps you understand the information we are giving you. The idea is simple. After talking with the staff, tell them in your own words what you were just told. This helps to make sure the staff has covered each thing clearly. It also helps to explain things that may have been a bit confusing. Before going home, make sure you are able to do these: ‚
- I can tell you about my condition.
- I can tell you what changes I need to make with my diet or drugs.
- I can tell you what I will do if I have signs of a heart attack or stroke.
Where can I learn more?
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. ‚
Copyright
Copyright ‚ © 2015 Clinical Drug Information, LLC and Lexi-Comp, Inc. ‚