Arrhythmia (Heart Rhythm Disorders)

Restoring irregular heartbeats to a healthy rhythm

An arrhythmia is an abnormal or irregular heartbeat caused by a disturbance in the electrical impulses that coordinate your heart rate. This can cause your heart to beat too fast, too slow or irregularly. When the heart doesn’t beat properly, it can’t effectively pump blood to your body.

Some arrhythmias may be harmless, but others can be life-threatening or a sign of a further heart problem. They also can increase your risk of stroke and heart failure if not treated. This is why it’s important to have your heart evaluated by an electrophysiologist, a heart rhythm specialist who diagnoses and treats arrhythmias.

The physicians in our Cardiac Electrophysiology Program are highly trained advanced subspecialists who manage even the most complex arrhythmias.

What are the symptoms of arrhythmia?

Some people with an arrhythmia don’t feel any symptoms. Others describe their symptoms as feeling like their heart is racing, slowing down or skipping a beat.

Additional symptoms may include:

• Chest pain
• Dizziness or lightheadedness
• Fainting
• Fatigue
• Shortness of breath
• Sweating

What causes arrhythmia?

Arrhythmias can be caused by many things, including:

• Certain medications, including over-the-counter cold and allergy drugs
• Diabetes
• Coronary artery disease
• Drinking too much caffeine or alcohol
• Drug abuse
• Family history of arrhythmias
• High blood pressure
• Prior heart attack
• Smoking
• Stress

Types of Arrhythmias

A normal heart beats 60 to 100 times a minute. Arrhythmias are most often classified by the speed of heart rate they cause.

• Tachycardia: The most common type of arrhythmia, tachycardia causes the heart to beat faster than 100 beats a minute.
• Bradycardia: This refers to a slow heartbeat, less than 60 beats a minute.

Arrhythmias also are classified by where they begin in the heart: the atria (the upper chambers of the heart) or the ventricles (the lower chambers). These can include:

• Atrial fibrillation (AFib), in which the heart’s two upper chambers do not beat in sync with the two lower chambers.
• Atrial flutter, which is similar to AFib, but which is characterized by a less chaotic heartbeat.
• Catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia (CPVT), a rare inherited condition that causes abnormal heart rhythms during physical activity or in response to stress.
• Long QT syndrome, a heart rhythm disorder that increases your risk of rapid, chaotic heartbeats.
  Sick sinus syndrome, in which the sinus node, your heart’s pacemaker, doesn’t properly send electrical impulses.
• Supraventricular tachycardia, which is a broad term that includes many forms of arrhythmia in the atria.
• Ventricular fibrillation, which occurs when rapid electrical impulses cause the ventricles to beat ineffectively and no longer pump blood properly.
• Ventricular tachycardia, a rapid, regular heart rate that originates in the ventricles.
• Wolff-Parkinson-White (WPW) syndrome, a congenital heart defect in which there is an extra electrical pathway between the atria and ventricles.

Tests

Treatments

Treatment will depend on the type and severity of your arrhythmia. In some cases, medication and lifestyle changes may be enough to manage the condition. More advanced treatment options may include electrical devices, minimally invasive procedures or surgery.