Patients & Family

Arrhythmias

Other types of arrhythmia

Bradycardia

Arrhythmia that causes the heart to beat slowly (less than 60 beats per minute) is called bradycardia. People who are very physically active often have a resting heart rate slower than 60 beats per minute and for them, this isn't abnormally slow.

Bradycardia doesn't usually require treatment unless there are prolonged or repeated symptoms such as fatigue, dizziness, lightheadedness, fainting or near-fainting spells (Vardas PE, et al. 2007). These symptoms can be treated and, in certain cases, can be corrected by implanting an electronic pacemaker under the skin to regulate the heart beat.

Tachycardias

An arrhythmia that causes the heart to beat too rapidly is called a tachycardia. Tachycardia can produce palpitations, chest pain, dizziness, lightheadedness, fainting or near fainting. Rapid heartbeats may be either regular or irregular in rhythm (Ashley E & Niebauer J, 2004).

When rapid heart beating starts in the ventricles it is called ventricular tachycardia. This type of arrhythmia can interfere with the heart's ability to pump enough blood to the brain and other vital organs and can be a dangerous arrhythmia that can change without warning into the most serious heart rhythm disturbance (ventricular fibrillation). During ventricular fibrillation, the lower chambers of the heart quiver and the heart can't pump any more blood; medical help must be provided immediately.

If treated in time, ventricular tachycardia and ventricular fibrillation can be converted into normal rhythm with an electronic device called an artificial pacemaker or, in emergency situations, with a defibrillator. Rapid heart beating can be also controlled with medications or by identifying and destroying the origin of rhythm disturbances.