Things you need to know about arrhythmias or irregular heartbeats
The human heart is made of four sacs or chambers. The upper two are known as atria and the lower two as ventricles. A normal heart beats at a rate of 60 to 100 times per minute to circulate blood. The normal rhythm or beating of the heart is controlled by two distinct bunches of nerve cells called the Sino-Atrial (SA) node and the Atrioventricular (AV) node.
Arrhythmias, sometimes known as dysrhythmias, are disorders of electrical impulses causing the heart to beat irregularly or too fast/slow.
Sometimes arrhythmias may have no sign and symptom. However, some noticeable symptoms are:
If these symptoms appear suddenly, or frequently, one should visit a cardiologist as soon as possible.
Arrhythmias may be caused due to many factors like:
Arrhythmias are classified on the basis of their origin and their effect on the speed of the heartbeats. They include:
Exercise and physiological phenomena can induce tachycardia/bradycardia unrelated to heart disease.
Tachycardia of atria
Tachycardias that arise in the atria include:
Tachycardia of ventricles
Tachycardias that arise in the ventricles include:
Bradycardia:
Some common types of bradycardias include:
Premature heartbeats or premature ventricular contractions
It is an extra beat in the normal sequence of heartbeats. A premature beat can sometimes lead to an arrhythmia in people with existing heart disease.
Cardiologists diagnose arrhythmia by:
Sometimes the cardiologist may also advice:
A Cardiologist may advise the treatment for arrhythmias depending upon the patient’s overall health, the type and severity of arrhythmia.
Treatment of bradycardia: Bradycardia is treated with implantation of a pacemaker, which is a small device that generates electrical impulses to stimulate the heart.
Treatment of tachycardia: This includes procedures like:
Surgical treatments: Surgery may be required in some patients. The common surgical procedures include:
Lifestyle changes that help to reduce the risk of heart disease also help prevent arrhythmias. Some of these measures include:
Cost of the treatment varies depending on the mode of the treatment and the patient’s overall health. Furthermore, the following factors will affect the overall cost:
To know more about arrhythmia and its management, you can request a callback and our arrhythmias or irregular heartbeats specialist will call you and answer all your queries.
“The content of this publication has been developed by a third party content providerwho are clinicians and/or medical writers and/or experts. The information contained herein is for educational purpose only and we request you to please consult a Registered Medical Practitioner or Doctor before deciding the appropriate diagnosis and treatment plan.”