ERRATIC HEART BEAT (ARRHYTHMIA)

 

Arrhythmias can occur when the electrical impulses that coordinate your heart rhythm do not travel normally. This causes the heart to beat too fast, too slow, or with an irregular rhythm.

Almost everyone has felt their heart "skip" or “flutter” a beat or two, and speed up in times of fear or excitement or during exercise. 

Too much caffeine and certain medications also can cause heart palpitations (heart racing or fluttering) in some people. These types of arrhythmias are generally harmless.

While most arrhythmias are harmless, some can be serious or even life threatening. When a heartbeat is too fast, too slow or irregular, the heart may not be able to pump enough blood to the body. 

Arrhythmias can be associated with serious symptoms that can affect your ability to function. Lack of blood flow can damage the brain, heart and other organs.

If irregular heartbeats are frequent or chronic, they can be very serious. Troublesome arrhythmias can be made worse, or can be caused by a weak or damaged heart. 

Uncontrolled rapid arrhythmias can result in heart weakness over time.

Types of Arr​​hythmias

There are two major types of arrhythmia:

·       Tachycardia, where the heart beat is too fast - more than 100 beats per minute

•       Bradycardia, where the heartbeat is to slow – less than 60 beats per minute.

Arrhythmias are identified by where they originate in the heart and whether they cause the heart to beat slow or fast.

• Arrhythmias that start in the atria are called atrial or supraventricular (above the ventricles) arrhythmias.
• Rapid heart rhythms originating in the atria include atrial fibrillation, atrial flutter, and supraventricular tachycardia.
• Arrhythmias that start in the ventricle include ventricular tachycardia and ventricular fibrillation. These are serious, often life-threatening arrhythmias since the ventricles do most of the pumping. Ventricular fibrillation is the most common cause of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) and is fatal if not treated within a few minutes.
• Slow heart rhythms occur when the hearts normal pacemaker fails or when there is a conduction block within the conduction pathways.

 Symptoms of Arrhythmia

Arrhythmias may not cause any signs or symptoms. In fact, your doctor might find you have an arrhythmia during a routine examination. Symptoms of a heart arrhythmia include:

• A “fluttering” sensation in your chest
• A racing heartbeat (tachycardia)
• A slow heartbeat (bradycardia)
• Chest pain
• Shortness of breath
• Light-headedness
• Dizziness
• Fainting (syncope) or near fainting
• Fatigue

Causes of Arrhythmia

Risk factors and causes of heart arrhythmias include:

• Heart disease
• Electrolyte imbalances in your blood
• Structural abnormalities of the heart
• Infection
• Abnormal electrical pathways
• Medications

When it comes to arrhythmia it’s always better to err on the side of caution. If you have a concern about an irregular heartbeat, you should contact your doctor.