Heartbeat Irregularities and types of arrhythmias
Heartbeat irregularities (also called cardiac arrhythmias) arrhythmia is deviations from the normal heart rhythm, steady beating of the heart such you feel an irregular heartbeat at night.
Minor irregularities common abnormal heart rhythms in the heartbeat are common, but more serious arrhythmias can lead to fainting, angina pectoris, or heart attack. The most devastating heartbeat irregularity is called ventricular fibrillation, fibrillation atrial flutter
which occurs when the normally steady pumping action of the heart is reduced to a useless quivering.
types of arrhythmias
Arrhythmias are periodic cardiac disturbances that can affect both atrial and sinus fibrillation. Periodic means that an arrhythmia occurs regularly with a certain period of time. For example, every 90 minutes an atrial or sinus arrhythmia occurs. In addition to periodic occurrence, an arrhythmia also has a regular periodicity.
Therefore, if an arrhythmic event occurs, it will usually occur again within a specific time frame. The regularity of an arrhythmia is measured by its rate or rhythm. Rates vary from less than 20 beats per minute to over 300 beats per minute. Although rates vary from person to person, most people have a rate between 60 and 120 beats per minute.
common abnormal heart rhythms, Heartbeat Irregularities are periodic heart disturbances that can affect either the sinus or the atrial chambers of the heart. Arrhythmias can cause cardiac dysfunction, heart failure, and sudden death. When an arrhythmia involves the heart’s atria, it is called atrial fibrillation.
When an arrhythmia involves the heart’s sinus node, it is called sinus tachycardia. Both atrial and sinus arrhythmias are common conditions that affect the heart’s rhythmicity and function. Your heartbeat is controlled by the heart’s main pumping chamber – the left atrium – which pumps blood into the left ventricle and out to your body via your arteries.
An electrical impulse originating from the atrium’s SA node triggers a chain of events that ultimately results in your heartbeat Irregularities However, some events occurring in your body can throw off your balance and lead to an irregular heartbeat. These are called arrhythmias, and they can happen spontaneously or as a result of a triggering event.
irregular heartbeat causes
Serious arrhythmias are usually caused by damage to the heart muscle or to specialized heart tissue called the conduction system. The first part of the conduction system, called the sinus node, serves as the natural pacemaker of the heart; it is responsible for establishing and maintaining a healthy, steady heartbeat.
Heartbeat irregularities can also be caused by improper use of certain drugs (among them, drugs prescribed for arrhythmia, which can actually cause arrhythmia if the dosage is too high), excessive smoking, or consumption of large quantities of caffeine (the amounts found in coffee, tea, chocolate, cola, and some cold medicines can overstimulate the heart.
Heartbeat irregularities may also develop as a result of congenital (present at birth) abnormalities, a poorly functioning left ventricle, high blood pressure, or a previous heart attack (because the resulting scar tissue may interfere with transmission of the nerve impulses governing the heartbeat). hemophilia
Ventricular fibrillation often occurs after a heart attack or some other serious injury, such as a severe electrical shock. more health issues
Symptoms of Heartbeat Irregularities :
Some heartbeat irregularities have no noticeable symptoms. Others are signaled by pounding of the heart, light-headedness, chest pain, fainting, and dizziness.
when should i be worried about an irregular heartbeat?
When you feel these symptoms continuously with shortness of breath or a feeling of irregularity, such as: my heart beats 3 times then pauses.
how long can you live with irregular heartbeat?, Heartbeat Irregularities may be continue to minutes or hours in some cases days and years.
Diagnosis :
are arrhythmias diagnosed
Arrhythmias are diagnosed primarily with the electrocardiograph (an instrument that records the electrical impulses generated in the heart). A normal heart will produce a record of regular peaks and valleys; an arrhythmic heart will show an uneven pattern. One common cause of irregular heartbeat, atrial fibrillation flutter, is diagnosed by electrocardiogram, although sometimes more sophisticated tests are needed.
Continuous recording of the heartbeat can be done on an outpatient basis with a Holter monitor, which is similar to a combination tape recorder and electrocardiograph. This small device can be worn by the patient for as long as 24 hours. Electrocardiographic wires are taped to the patient’s chest, and recordings of the heartbeat are made on magnetic tape. The patient notes his or her activities and any symptoms he or she experiences during the testing period, and these reports are later correlated with the recorded heartbeat rhythm.
what is the best treatment for irregular heartbeat?
Occasionally, cardiac arrhythmias are so mild that no particular treatment is required. However, more serious irregularities are treated with drugs, defibrillation, or implantation of an artificial pacemaker. All of these methods act to steady the heart rhythm and to maintain a steady heartbeat.
Medications commonly used include digitalis, beta-blockers, and antiarrhythmics, such as quinidine. Patients with this disorder are often given blood-thinning medication because atrial fibrillation
predisposes them to blood clots in the heart.
how i cured my arrhythmia?
A defibrillator is a device applied to the chest that electrically jolts a quivering heart in a state of ventricular fibrillation back into a normal pattern of beating.
For those whose arrhythmia is caused by a faulty conduction system, an artificial cardiac pacemaker may be implanted in the chest. The pacemaker incorporates a small electrical generator, which causes the heart to beat when its own conduction system fails and steadies an abnormal heartbeat by sending out electrical impulses similar to those emitted by the heart. In certain severe cases, a pacemaker and an internal defibrillator are implanted to control the heart rhythm.
Lifestyle changes will probably be recommended to patients suffering from heartbeat irregularities; they may need to quit smoking, lose weight, exercise more regularly, and reduce their caffeine intake. These precautions may also be taken in an effort to prevent arrhythmias.
