IRREGULAR HEARTBEAT
Irregular heartbeat (heart arrhythmia) is a problem with the electrical impulses that regulate the heart and cause it to pump blood less efficiently.
SYMPTOMS
People who experience an irregular heartbeat or arrhythmia may experience debilitating symptoms, which include:
- Chest Pain
- Dizziness
- Fatigue
Fluttering and palpations in the chest
- Blackouts
TREATMENT
One of the first tests a doctor may perform on a patient experiencing signs of an irregular heartbeat is an electrocardiogram (also known as an ECG or EKG). If an irregular heartbeat is noted on the EKG, your doctor may request that you wear a monitor for a 24-hour time period.
Further treatment depends on the type of arrhythmia and the severity of the symptoms. Common treatments include:
- Lifestyle modification– Changing diet and exercise habits, and reducing stress.
- Medications– There are a number of different medications that work to either restore normal cardiac conduction or help the heart beat more effectively.
Ablation– This minimally invasive procedure is performed in a cardiac cath lab and uses heat, cold or radio frequency to destroy the area causing the irregular heartbeat.
- Pacemaker– A pacemaker is a device that is implanted under the skin of the chest wall. A pacemaker sends electrical messages telling it to pump if it is pumping too slowly.
- Implantable Cardiac Defibrillator (ICD)– This device is implanted under the skin and interrupts an irregular heartbeat by “telling” the heart to slow down.
Monitoring Devices– An implantable device that records cardiac information and irregular heartbeats, and can report the information back to a doctor over the telephone.
- Surgery– In rare cases the a severe irregular heartbeat may require surgical correction