What Is Arrhythmia? Symptoms, Treatment, Causes & Types

Introduction to Arrhythmia

An irregular heartbeat is an arrhythmia (also called dysrhythmia). Heart rates can also be irregular. A normal heart rate is 50 to 100 beats per minute. Arrhythmias and abnormal heart rates don't necessarily occur together. Arrhythmias can occur with a normal heart rate, or with heart rates that are slow (called bradyarrhythmias -- less than 50 beats per minute). Arrhythmias can also occur with rapid heart rates (called tachyarrhythmias -- faster than 100 beats per minute). In the United States, more than 850,000 people are hospitalized for an arrhythmia each year.

What causes an arrhythmia?

Arrhythmias may be caused by many different factors, including:

What are the types of arrhythmias?

The types of arrhythmias include:

The most common symptom of atrial fibrillation is palpitations, an uncomfortable awareness of the rapid and irregular heartbeat. Other symptoms of atrial fibrillation are caused by the diminished delivery of blood to the body. These symptoms include:

What are the symptoms of arrhythmias?

An arrhythmia can be silent and not cause any symptoms. A doctor can detect an irregular heartbeat during a physical exam by taking your pulse or through an electrocardiogram (ECG).

When symptoms of an arrhythmia occur, they may include:

How are arrhythmias diagnosed?

Tests used to diagnose an arrhythmia or determine its cause include:

How are arrhythmias treated?

Treatment depends on the type and seriousness of your arrhythmia. Some people with arrhythmias require no treatment. For others, treatments can include medication, making lifestyle changes, and undergoing surgical procedures.

What Drugs Are Used to Treat Arrhythmias?

A variety of drugs are available to treat arrhythmias. These include:

Because everyone is different, it may take trials of several medications and doses to find the one that works best for you.

Lifestyle Changes Can Help Arrhythmias?

What Is Electrical Cardioversion?

If drugs are not able to control a persistent irregular heart rhythm (such as atrial fibrillation), cardioversion may be required. After administration of a short-acting anesthesia, an electrical shock is delivered to your chest wall that synchronizes the heart and allows the normal rhythm to restart.

What is a pacemaker?

A pacemaker is a device that sends small electrical impulses to the heart muscle to maintain a suitable heart rate. Pacemakers primarily prevent the heart from beating too slowly. The pacemaker has a pulse generator (which houses the battery and a tiny computer) and leads (wires) that send impulses from the pulse generator to the heart muscle. Newer pacemakers have many sophisticated features that are designed to help manage arrhythmias and optimize heart rate-related function as much as possible.

What is an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD)?

An ICD is a sophisticated device used primarily to treat ventricular tachycardia and ventricular fibrillation, two life-threatening heart rhythms. The ICD constantly monitors the heart rhythm. When it detects a very fast, abnormal heart rhythm, it delivers energy to the heart muscle to cause the heart to beat in a normal rhythm again. There are several ways the ICD can be used to restore normal heart rhythm. They include:

What Is Catheter Ablation?

During an ablation, high-frequency electrical energy is delivered through a catheter to a small area of tissue inside the heart that causes the abnormal heart rhythm. This energy "disconnects" the pathway of the abnormal rhythm. Ablation is used to treat most PSVTs, atrial flutter, atrial fibrillation, and some atrial and ventricular tachycardias. Ablation may be combined with other procedures to achieve optimal treatment.

What Is Heart Surgery?

Heart surgery may be needed to correct heart disease that may be causing the arrhythmia. The Maze procedure is a type of surgery used to correct atrial fibrillation. During this procedure, a series (or "maze") of incisions are made in the right and left atria to confine the electrical impulses to defined pathways. Some people may require a pacemaker after this procedure.

WebMD Medical Reference

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What Is Arrhythmia? Symptoms, Treatment, Causes & Types