What is an arrhythmia?
An arrhythmia is an abnormal heart rhythm.
Some arrhythmias can cause problems with contractions of the heart chambers by:
- Not allowing the ventricles (lower chambers) to fill with an adequate amount of blood because an abnormal electrical signal is causing the heart to pump too fast or too slow.
- Not allowing a sufficient amount of blood to be pumped out to the body because an abnormal electrical signal is causing the heart to pump too slowly or too irregularly.
- Not allowing the top chambers to work properly.
In any of these situations, the body’s vital organs may not receive enough blood to meet their needs.
How are arrhythmias treated?
Some arrhythmias may be present but cause few, if any, problems. In this case, the doctor may elect not to treat the arrhythmia. However, when the arrhythmia causes symptoms, there are several different options for treatment. The doctor will choose an arrhythmia treatment based on the type of arrhythmia, the severity of symptoms being experienced, and the presence of other conditions (such as, diabetes, kidney failure, or heart failure) which can affect the course of the treatment.
Cardioversion
In this procedure, an electrical shock is delivered to the heart through the chest to stop certain very fast arrhythmias such as atrial fibrillation, supraventricular tachycardia, or atrial flutter. The patient is connected to an ECG monitor which is also connected to the defibrillator. The electrical shock is delivered at a precise point during the ECG cycle to convert the rhythm to a normal one.