Arrhythmia
An arrhythmia is a problem with the rate or rhythm of the heartbeat. During a arrhythmia, the heart can beat too fast, too slow, or with an irregular rhythm.
- What Is an Arrhythmia?
- Types of Arrhythmia
- What Causes an Arrhythmia? Risk?
- What Are the Signs and Symptoms of an Arrhythmia?
- How Are Arrhythmias Treated?
- Living With an Arrhythmia
- Key points
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What Is an Arrhythmia?
An irregular heartbeat is an arrhythmia.Heart rates can also be irregular. A normal heart rate is 50 to 100 beats per minute. Arrhythmias and abnormal heart rates don't necessarily occur together.
Arrhythmias can occur with a normal heart rate, or with heart rates that are slow.Arrhythmias can also occur with rapid heart rates. In the United States more than 850,000 people are hospitalized for an arrhythmia each year.
A heartbeat that is too fast is called tachycardia . A heartbeat that is too slow is called bradycardia .
Most arrhythmias are harmless, but some can be serious or even life threatening. When the heart rate is too fast, too slow, or irregular, the heart may not be able to pump enough blood to the body. Lack of blood flow can damage the brain, heart, and other organs.
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Understanding the Heart's Electrical System
To understand arrhythmias, it helps to understand the heart's internal electrical system. The heart's electrical system controls the rate and rhythm of the heartbeat.
With each heartbeat, an electrical signal spreads from the top of the heart to the bottom. As the signal travels, it causes the heart to contract and pump blood. The process repeats with each new heartbeat.
Each electrical signal begins in a group of cells called the sinus node or sinoatrial (SA) node. The SA node is located in the right atrium (AY-tree-um), which is the upper right chamber of the heart. In a healthy adult heart at rest, the SA node fires off an electrical signal to begin a new heartbeat 60 to 100 times a minute.
From the SA node, the electrical signal travels through special pathways in the right and left atria. This causes the atria to contract and pump blood into the heart's two lower chambers, the ventricles.
The electrical signal then moves down to a group of cells called the atrioventricular (AV) node, located between the atria and the ventricles. Here, the signal slows down just a little, allowing the ventricles time to finish filling with blood.
The electrical signal then leaves the AV node and travels along a pathway called the bundle of His. This pathway divides into a right bundle branch and a left bundle branch. The signal goes down these branches to the ventricles, causing them to contract and pump blood out to the lungs and the rest of the body.
The ventricles then relax, and the heartbeat process starts all over again in the SA node.
A problem with any part of this process can cause an arrhythmia. For example, in atrial fibrillation, a common type of arrhythmia, electrical signals travel through the atria in a fast and disorganized way. This causes the atria to quiver instead of contract.
Outlook
There are many types of arrhythmia. Most arrhythmias are harmless, but some are not. The outlook for a person who has an arrhythmia depends on the type and severity of the arrhythmia.
Even serious arrhythmias often can be successfully treated. Most people who have arrhythmias are able to live normal, healthy lives.