Arrhythmias

Arrhythmia is also called as abnormal heartbeat. This condition can happen in various parts of your heart (the pumping machine of the human body). The condition can make your heart beat either too fast or too slow. Sometimes, it can just make your heartbeat irregular.

Is Arrhythmia a Serious Disease? Some arrhythmias are harmless and warrant only observation by doctors. Sometimes, arrhythmias may lead to cardiac arrest. A cardiac checkup helps you understand which type of arrhythmia you may have.

What are the Different Types of Arrhythmia? Medical science has differentiated arrhythmia into 3 different types on the basis of their origin location:

• Supraventricular arrhythmias: They start in the upper chamber of your heart. The term "supraventricular" means above the lower heart chambers or ventricles
• Ventricular arrhythmias: These arise from the lower chamber of your heart.
• Bradyarrhythmias and junctional rhythms: These types of irregularities in the heartbeat happen due to some problem with the sinoatrial (SA) node, atrioventricular (AV) node, or His-Purkinje network. All these 3 form the conduction system of your heart.

Symptoms of Arrhythmias Sometimes, an irregular heartbeat may not have any apparent heart symptoms. Some of the warning signs and symptoms of heart arrhythmia are:

• Shortness of breath
• Heart palpitations
• Chest discomfort
• Fainting episodes
• Weakness or fatigue
• Dizziness or lightheadedness

Possible Causes of the Arrhythmia
These include:

• Valve disorders
• High blood pressure
• Heart Attack
• Cardiomyopathy or any other change in your heart muscle
• Coronary artery disease
• Healing after a heart injury
• Irritable tissue in your heart. It can be due to genetic or acquired causes
• Electrolyte imbalances in blood

Possible Risk Factors of Arrhythmia Some possible risk factors of arrhythmia include, but are not limited to:

• Tobacco product consumption
• Higher levels of blood sugar
• Alcohol intake
• Cold medicines or herbal supplements
• BMI or body mass index, greater than 30
• Caffeinated drinks and foods
• Sleep apnea
• High blood pressure

Possible Complications of Arrhythmia If left untreated, arrhythmia can cause major complications, including but not limited to:

• Stroke
• Cardiomyopathy or problems with heart muscles
• Cardiac Arrest

Diagnosis Sometimes, this irregularity in a heartbeat is detected in the routine checkup when your doctor checks your chest area using a stethoscope. The doctors then do a series of tests and physical examinations to confirm the diagnosis. You may be referred to an electrophysiologist (who specializes in heart rhythm disorders). Some of the tests include:

• Stress test
• Electrophysiology study (EPS)
• Blood tests for determining blood electrolyte levels
• Electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG)
• Computed tomography (CT)
• Genetic Tests
• Echocardiogram
• Cardiac catheterisation
• Tilt table test

Management and Treatment of Arrhythmia Minor problems do not need any treatment. Other treatment options may include: Conservative options

• Arrhythmia drugs (these convert abnormal heart rhythm to normal)
• Heart rate control medicines
• Anticoagulant drugs to reduce chances of clot formation

Non-invasive treatments: Sometimes, one may need therapies to eliminate rhythm disorders. These include:

• Cardioversion: It creates an electrical impulse to restart your normal rhythm
• Catheter ablation: It sends high-frequency electrical impulses to a small tissue and disconnects the abnormal rhythm’s pathway.
• Pulmonary vein isolation: This ablation technique creates rings of scars to separate out areas causing atrial fibrillation.

Devices: Your heart doctor may sometimes put some devices inside the heart to treat arrhythmia.

• Permanent Pacemaker: It sends small electrical impulses that maintain a normal heart rhythm
• Implantable cardioverter-defibrillator: Whenever this device senses any abnormal heart activity, it sends energy impulses and makes the heart beat normally.
• Biventricular (B-V) pacemakers and defibrillators (also called cardiac resynchronization therapy or CRT): They help in normalizing the rhythm associated with the left ventricle

Surgery Arrhythmia associated with heart disease requiring valve surgery or coronary artery bypass surgery Arrhythmia not responding to medications or nonsurgical treatment may need a maze procedure.