Arrhythmia

When your heart skips a beat

Your heart beats to the rhythm of your life. Most of the time, your heartbeat goes unnoticed, but a sudden flutter or missed beat could be a sign something is off.

Frequent or noticeable changes in your heart rhythm can suggest problems with your heart’s intricate electrical system. When irregular heartbeats, or arrhythmias, occur, your heart might no longer pump blood effectively. That can affect every part of your body and lead to more serious health concerns. Although some arrhythmias can go away on their own, others require expert care to manage and correct, helping you return to the natural rhythm of your life. 

What is an arrythmia?

Normally, the walls of the heart squeeze or “contract,” which pushes blood from one heart chamber to another. An electrical impulse in your heart controls those contractions. When the heart’s electrical impulses speed up or slow down, an arrhythmia — or abnormal heartbeat — occurs.  

You can develop an arrhythmia because of a heart attack or a heart disease, such as heart failure. Sometimes, arrhythmias are caused by alcohol misuse, smoking, exercise, or even stress.  

It’s a good idea to know what’s normal for you when it comes to your heartbeat. Some people, including younger adults and those who are very physically active, could have a lower resting heart rate than average. 

Types of arrhythmia

Arrhythmias can occur throughout your heart. Some affect the upper chambers (atria), the lower chambers (ventricles), or both. Other types cause your heart to beat faster or slower than normal. Common types of arrhythmia include:

• Atrial fibrillation (AFib): AFib occurs when the heart's atria and ventricles don’t work together efficiently. It’s the most common arrhythmia, causing the heart to beat more than 400 times per minute.  
• Atrial flutter: With atrial flutter, chaotic electrical signals in your atria cause an increased heart rate.
• Bradycardia: Bradycardia is a slower-than-normal heart rate. When you have bradycardia, your heart might beat fewer than 60 times per minute.
• Paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia: This condition causes extra heartbeats because of problems with the electrical signals between the upper and lower chambers of the heart.
• Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS): POTS affects the nervous system, causing an abnormal increase in heart rate upon standing, with symptoms like dizziness and fatigue.
• Premature heartbeats: These occur when the electrical signals that tell the heart to beat come too early.  
• Tachycardia: Tachycardia is a faster-than-normal heartbeat. When you have tachycardia, your heart can beat as many as 100 times per minute.
• Ventricular fibrillation: This condition occurs when electrical signals cause the ventricles to quiver instead of pumping normally. This type of arrhythmia can lead to cardiac arrest within minutes.
• Ventricular tachycardia: This is when the ventricles beat too fast. Ventricular tachycardia can lead to ventricular fibrillation if it lasts longer than a few seconds. 

Arrhythmia treatments available at Reid

If you have a mild arrhythmia, our providers will simply monitor you to ensure it doesn’t return. Adopting healthier habits, like changing your diet and exercising more, can help you manage heart rhythm issues. Medications can also help control a fast heartbeat and keep your heart rhythm stable.

Your treatment plan will depend on the type of arrhythmia you have, but it might include:

• Cardioversion: This procedure is used to restore a normal heartbeat by delivering an electrical shock to the heart.
• Catheter ablation: This treatment involves using catheters to destroy specific areas of heart tissue that are causing arrhythmias.
• Implantable devices: Devices such as implantable cardioverter defibrillators or pacemakers can detect and correct abnormal heart rhythms automatically.