Summer BanksHeartbeat Irregularities
December 11th 2006 11:40
Heartbeat Irregularities :
Heartbeat irregularities (also called cardiac arrhythmias) are deviations from the normal, steady beating of the heart.
Minor irregularities in the heartbeat are common, but more serious arrhythmias can lead to fainting, angina pectoris, or heart attack. The most devastating heartbeat irregularity is called ventricular fibrillation, which occurs when the normally steady pumping action of the heart is reduced to a useless quivering.
Causes :
Serious arrhythmias are usually caused by damage to the heart muscle or to specialized heart tissue called the conduction system. The first part of the conduction system, called the sinus node, serves as the natural pacemaker of the heart; it is responsible for establishing and maintaining a healthy, steady heartbeat.
Heartbeat irregularities can also be caused by improper use of certain drugs (among them, drugs prescribed for arrhythmia, which can actually cause arrhythmia if the dosage is too high), excessive smoking, or consumption of large quantities of caffeine (the amounts found in coffee, tea, chocolate, cola, and some cold medicines can overstimulate the heart).
Heartbeat irregularities may also develop as a result of congenital (present at birth) abnormalities, a poorly functioning left ventricle, high blood pressure, or a previous heart attack (because the resulting scar tissue may interfere with transmission of the nerve impulses governing the heartbeat).
Ventricular fibrillation often occurs after a heart attack or some other serious injury, such as a severe electrical shock.
Symptoms :
Some heartbeat irregularities have no noticeable symptoms. Others are signaled by pounding of the heart, light-headedness, chest pain, fainting, and dizziness.
Diagnosis :
Arrhythmias are diagnosed primarily with the electrocardiograph (an instrument that records the electrical impulses generated in the heart). A normal heart will produce a record of regular peaks and valleys; an arrhythmic heart will show an uneven pattern. One common cause of irregular heartbeat, atrial fibrillation, is diagnosed by electrocardiogram, although sometimes more sophisticated tests are needed.
Continuous recording of the heartbeat can be done on an outpatient basis with a Holter monitor, which is similar to a combination tape recorder and electrocardiograph. This small device can be worn by the patient for as long as 24 hours. Electrocardiographic wires are taped to the patient's chest, and recordings of the heartbeat are made on magnetic tape. The patient notes his or her activities and any symptoms he or she experiences during the testing period, and these reports are later correlated with the recorded heartbeat rhythm.
Treatment :
Occasionally, cardiac arrhythmias are so mild that no particular treatment is required. However, more serious irregularities are treated with drugs, defibrillation, or implantation of an artificial pacemaker. All of these methods act to steady the heart rhythm and to maintain a steady heartbeat.
Medications commonly used include digitalis, beta-blockers, and antiarrhythmics, such as quinidine. Patients with this disorder are often given blood-thinning medication because atrial fibrillation predisposes them to blood clots in the heart.
A defibrillator is a device applied to the chest that electrically jolts a quivering heart in a state of ventricular fibrillation back into a normal pattern of beating.
For those whose arrhythmia is caused by a faulty conduction system, an artificial cardiac pacemaker may be implanted in the chest. The pacemaker incorporates a small electrical generator, which causes the heart to beat when its own conduction system fails and steadies an abnormal heartbeat by sending out electrical impulses similar to those emitted by the heart. In certain severe cases, a pacemaker and an internal defibrillator are implanted to control the heart rhythm.
Lifestyle changes will probably be recommended to patients suffering from heartbeat irregularities; they may need to quit smoking, lose weight, exercise more regularly, and reduce their caffeine intake. These precautions may also be taken in an effort to prevent arrhythmias.
Heartbeat irregularities (also called cardiac arrhythmias) are deviations from the normal, steady beating of the heart.
Minor irregularities in the heartbeat are common, but more serious arrhythmias can lead to fainting, angina pectoris, or heart attack. The most devastating heartbeat irregularity is called ventricular fibrillation, which occurs when the normally steady pumping action of the heart is reduced to a useless quivering.
Causes :
Serious arrhythmias are usually caused by damage to the heart muscle or to specialized heart tissue called the conduction system. The first part of the conduction system, called the sinus node, serves as the natural pacemaker of the heart; it is responsible for establishing and maintaining a healthy, steady heartbeat.
Heartbeat irregularities can also be caused by improper use of certain drugs (among them, drugs prescribed for arrhythmia, which can actually cause arrhythmia if the dosage is too high), excessive smoking, or consumption of large quantities of caffeine (the amounts found in coffee, tea, chocolate, cola, and some cold medicines can overstimulate the heart).
Heartbeat irregularities may also develop as a result of congenital (present at birth) abnormalities, a poorly functioning left ventricle, high blood pressure, or a previous heart attack (because the resulting scar tissue may interfere with transmission of the nerve impulses governing the heartbeat).
Ventricular fibrillation often occurs after a heart attack or some other serious injury, such as a severe electrical shock.
Symptoms :
Some heartbeat irregularities have no noticeable symptoms. Others are signaled by pounding of the heart, light-headedness, chest pain, fainting, and dizziness.
Diagnosis :
Arrhythmias are diagnosed primarily with the electrocardiograph (an instrument that records the electrical impulses generated in the heart). A normal heart will produce a record of regular peaks and valleys; an arrhythmic heart will show an uneven pattern. One common cause of irregular heartbeat, atrial fibrillation, is diagnosed by electrocardiogram, although sometimes more sophisticated tests are needed.
Continuous recording of the heartbeat can be done on an outpatient basis with a Holter monitor, which is similar to a combination tape recorder and electrocardiograph. This small device can be worn by the patient for as long as 24 hours. Electrocardiographic wires are taped to the patient's chest, and recordings of the heartbeat are made on magnetic tape. The patient notes his or her activities and any symptoms he or she experiences during the testing period, and these reports are later correlated with the recorded heartbeat rhythm.
Treatment :
Occasionally, cardiac arrhythmias are so mild that no particular treatment is required. However, more serious irregularities are treated with drugs, defibrillation, or implantation of an artificial pacemaker. All of these methods act to steady the heart rhythm and to maintain a steady heartbeat.
Medications commonly used include digitalis, beta-blockers, and antiarrhythmics, such as quinidine. Patients with this disorder are often given blood-thinning medication because atrial fibrillation predisposes them to blood clots in the heart.
A defibrillator is a device applied to the chest that electrically jolts a quivering heart in a state of ventricular fibrillation back into a normal pattern of beating.
For those whose arrhythmia is caused by a faulty conduction system, an artificial cardiac pacemaker may be implanted in the chest. The pacemaker incorporates a small electrical generator, which causes the heart to beat when its own conduction system fails and steadies an abnormal heartbeat by sending out electrical impulses similar to those emitted by the heart. In certain severe cases, a pacemaker and an internal defibrillator are implanted to control the heart rhythm.
Lifestyle changes will probably be recommended to patients suffering from heartbeat irregularities; they may need to quit smoking, lose weight, exercise more regularly, and reduce their caffeine intake. These precautions may also be taken in an effort to prevent arrhythmias.
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