| name: | Arrhythmia |
| also known as: | Heart Rhythm Irregularity; Heart Beat Irregularity; Heartbeat Irregularity; Heart Arrhythmia; Skipped Heart Beat; Missed Heart Beat; Bradycardia; Tachycardia; Slow Heart; Fast Heart; Arrythmia; Palpitation |
| also see: | Rapid Heartbeat; Slow Heartbeat; Heart Block; Pacemaker Insertion; Atrial Fibrillation; Atrial Flutter; Wolff Parkinson White Syndrome; Supraventricular Tachycardia; Ventricular Arrhythmia; Premature Ventricular Contraction; Ventricular Tachycardia; Ventricular Fibrillation; Sick Sinus Syndrome; Antiarrhythmia Drugs; ICD |
| description: | Arrhythmia is an abnormality in the rhythm of the heart beat, including slow heart beat (bradycardia), fast heart beat (tachycardia), and irregular heart beat (dysrhythmia, arrhythmia). Causes include atrial fibrillation, heart block, rapid heartbeat heart valve disease, cornary artery disease, congestive heart failure, rheumatic fever, myocarditis, cardiomyopathy, pericarditis, high blood pressure, congenital heart disease, hyperthyroidism, fluid and electrolyte imbalance, potassium imbalance, calcium imbalance, pheochromocytoma, and certain medications. Risk includes stress, high blood pressure, smoking, caffeine, alcohol, fatigue, and certain medicines. |
| signs & symptoms: | Includes palpitation, a sense of a slow heart beat, fast heart beat, a skipped heart beat, shortness of breath, dizziness, fainting, weakness, chest pain. However, the most common symptom is either palpitation or, no symptoms at all. Palpitations are described as the heart beating "fast," "hard," "flip-flop." |
| diagnosis: | Based on signs, symptoms, history, and exam, as well as an EKG , and a special 24 hour EKG called a Holter monitor that records the heart tracing for an entire day, kind of like a diary. Other studies depend upon the suspected underlying cause. |
| treatment: | Varies from no treatment in asymptomatic cases to medical intervention in symptomatic cases. Treatment can include antiarrhythmia drugs in order to stabilize the arrhythmia, such as digoxin, sodium channel blockers, calcium channel blockers, potassium channel blockers, and beta blockers. Other treatments include cardioversion (electric shocking the heart into a normal rhythm) followed by medicines in order to maintain a normal rhythm, and surgical intervention in order to place a pacemaker, called pacemaker insertion. |
| prevention: | Treat the underlying risks is the only prevention. Additionally, a person prone to palpitations and skipped heart beats might limit their use of coffee, tea, chocolate, caffeine, antihistamines, decongestants, alcohol, nicotine in cigarettes, and drug use such as marihuana and cocaine. |
| outcome: | Although a few heart arrhythmias are asymptomatic and require no treatment, most require medical treatment, which is usually quite successful. Failure to control a heart arrhythmia can result in recurrent fainting, congestive heart failure, cardiac arrest, and death. |
skynetMD suggests the following:
| if: | If the person has fainted and has no heart beat, no breathing, no pulse, begin CPR and |
| go to: | Go to the phone and dial 911 |
| if: | If the person has signs and symptoms of an arrhythmia, such as fainting, repeated fainting, palpitations with an awareness of a slow heart beat, fast heart beat, or skipped heart beat, general ill feeling, or has started a new medication, or has sweating, weight loss, heat intolerance, feeling of doom |
| go to: | Go to the doctor or the hospital. |
| if: | If the person would like a heart condition Internet Resource |
| go to: | Go to American Heart Association www.americanheart.org, Heart Information Network www.heartinfo.org/ |
Last updated 7/1/2009