WHAT CAUSES

ARRHYTHMIAS?
WHAT'S ITS CURE

JOHN JERO 11-D

 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would like to thank my parents for providing

the resources and encouragement required in

order to complete this project.

The completion of this project was possible

under their guidance and support.
 TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction Slide 4
What causes arrhythmias? Slide 5
Types of arrhythmias Slide 7
Symptoms of arrhythmias Slide 14
How is an arrhythmia treated? Slide 15
Medications treat arrhythmias Slide 16
Invasive therapies used to treat arrhythmias? Slide 17
Devices used to treat arrhythmias Slide 20
lifestyle-related risk factors for arrhythmias Slide 21
CONCLUSION AND BIBLIOGRAPHY Slide 22
 INTRODUCTION
Arrhythmias, also known as cardiac arrhythmias, heart arrhythmias,
or dysrhythmias, are irregularities in the heartbeat, including when it is too fast or
too slow. A resting heart rate that is too fast – above 100 beats per minute in adults –
is called tachycardia, and a resting heart rate that is too slow – below 60 beats per
minute – is called bradycardia. Some types of arrhythmias have no
symptoms. Symptoms, when present, may include palpitations or feeling a pause
between heartbeats. In more serious cases, there may be light headedness, passing
out, shortness of breath or chest pain. While most cases of arrhythmia are not
serious, some predispose a person to complications such as stroke or heart
failure. Others may result in sudden death.
 WHAT CAUSES ARRHYTHMIAS?
Arrhythmias can be caused by:
 Coronary artery disease.
 Irritable tissue in the heart (due to genetic or acquired causes).
 High blood pressure.
 Changes in the heart muscle (cardiomyopathy).
 Valve disorders.
 Electrolyte imbalances in your blood, such as sodium or potassium imbalances.
 Injury from a heart attack.
 The healing process after heart surgery.
 Other medical conditions.
WHAT ARE THE TYPES OF
ARRHYTHMIAS?
 Supraventricular arrhythmias: Arrhythmias that begin in the atria
(the heart’s upper chambers). "Supra” means above. “Ventricular”
refers to the lower chambers of the heart or ventricles.
 Ventricular arrhythmias: Arrhythmias that begin in the ventricles (the
heart’s lower chambers).
 Bradyarrhythmias: Slow heart rhythms that may be caused by disease
in the heart’s conduction system, such as the sinoatrial (SA) node,
atrioventricular (AV) node or HIS-Purkinje network.
 WHAT ARE THE TYPES OF SUPRAVENTRICULAR
ARRHYTHMIAS?
Supraventricular arrhythmias begin in the atria or the upper chambers of your heart. Types of supraventricular
arrhythmias include:
 Paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia (PSVT): A rapid but regular heart rhythm that comes from the atria.
This type of arrhythmia begins and ends suddenly.
 Accessory pathway tachycardias (bypass tract tachycardias): A fast heart rhythm caused by an extra, abnormal
electrical pathway or connection between the atria and ventricles. The impulses travel through the extra
pathways as well as the usual route. This allows the impulses to travel around your heart very quickly, causing it
to beat unusually fast (example: Wolff- Parkinson-White syndrome).
 AV nodal re-entrant tachycardia (AVNRT): A fast heart rhythm caused by the presence of more than one
pathway through the atrioventricular (AV) node.
 Atrial tachycardia: A rapid heart rhythm that starts in the atria.
 Atrial fibrillation: A very common irregular heart rhythm. This happens when many impulses begin and spread
through the atria, competing for a chance to travel through the AV node. This results in a disorganized rapid
and irregular rhythm. Because the impulses are traveling through the atria in a disorderly fashion, there’s a loss
of coordinated atrial contraction.
 Atrial flutter: An atrial arrhythmia caused by one or more rapid circuits in the atrium. Atrial flutter is usually
more organized and regular than atrial fibrillation.
 WHAT ARE THE TYPES OF VENTRICULAR
ARRHYTHMIAS?
A ventricular arrhythmia begins in the heart’s ventricles. Types of ventricular arrhythmias include:
 Premature ventricular contractions (PVCs): Early, extra heartbeats that start out in the ventricles. Most of the
time, PVCs don’t cause any symptoms or require treatment. This type of arrhythmia is common and can be related
to stress, too much caffeine or nicotine, or exercise. They can be also be caused by heart disease or electrolyte
imbalance. People who have several PVCs and/or symptoms associated with them should be evaluated by a
cardiologist (heart doctor).
 Ventricular tachycardia (V-tach): A rapid heartbeat that begins in the ventricles. The rapid rhythm keeps the
heart from adequately filling with blood, and less blood is able to pump through the body. V-tach can be serious,
especially in people with heart disease, and may be associated with more symptoms than other types of
arrhythmia. A cardiologist should evaluate this condition.
 Ventricular fibrillation (V-fib): An erratic, disorganized firing of impulses from the ventricles. The ventricles
quiver and can’t generate an effective contraction, which results in a lack of blood being delivered to your body.
This is a medical emergency that must be treated with cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and defibrillation
(delivery of an energy shock to your heart muscle to restore a normal rhythm) as soon as possible.
 Long QT: While this is not an arrhythmia, it can predispose someone to have one. The QT interval is the area on
the ECG that represents the time it takes for the heart muscle to contract and then recover, or for the electrical
impulse to fire and then recharge. When the QT interval is longer than normal, it increases the risk for “torsade
de pointes,” a life-threatening form of ventricular tachycardia.
WHAT ARE THE TYPES OF
BRADYARRHYTHMIAS?

A bradyarrhythmia is a slow heart rhythm that is usually caused by disease in

the heart’s conduction system. Types of bradyarrhythmias include:
 Sinus node dysfunction: Slow heart rhythms due to an abnormal SA node.
 Heart block: A delay or complete block of the electrical impulse as it travels
from the sinus node to the ventricles. The level of the block or delay may
occur in the AV node or HIS-Purkinje system. The heartbeat may be irregular
and slow.
WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF AN
ARRHYTHMIA?
An arrhythmia may be “silent” and not cause any symptoms. A doctor can find an
irregular heartbeat during an examination by taking your pulse, listening to your heart
or performing diagnostic tests. If symptoms occur, they may include:
 ++Palpitations++: A feeling of skipped heartbeat or that your heart is “running
away,” fluttering or doing "flip-flops.”
 Pounding in your chest.
 Dizziness or feeling lightheaded.
 Shortness of breath.
 Chest discomfort.
 Weakness or fatigue (feeling very tired).
 Weakening of the heart muscle or low ejection fraction.
HOW IS AN ARRHYTHMIA TREATED?

Treatment depends on the type and severity of your arrhythmia. In

some cases, no treatment is necessary. Treatment options include
medications, lifestyle changes, invasive therapies, electrical devices or
surgery.
 WHAT MEDICATIONS TREAT ARRHYTHMIAS?
A variety of drugs are available to treat arrhythmias. Because everyone is
different, it may take trials of several medications and doses to find the one that
works best for you. Several types of drugs are used:
 Anti-arrhythmic drugs are drugs used to convert the arrhythmia to sinus
rhythm (normal rhythm) or to prevent an arrhythmia.
 Heart-rate control drugs are drugs used to control the heart rate.
 Anticoagulant or antiplatelet therapy are drugs, such as warfarin (a blood
thinner) or aspirin, that reduce the risk of clots forming or having strokes.
 Medications used to treat related conditions that may be causing an
abnormal heart rhythm.
WHAT INVASIVE THERAPIES ARE USED TO TREAT
ARRHYTHMIAS?

 Electrical cardioversion
In people with persistent past or irregular arrhythmias (such as
atrial fibrillation), a normal rhythm may not be achieved with
drug therapy alone. Cardioversion is performed by the doctor in
a special procedure room. After administration of a short-acting
anesthesia, an electrical impulse is delivered through your chest
wall that synchronizes the heart and allows the normal rhythm
to restart.
 Catheter ablation
During a catheter ablation, high-frequency electrical energy is
delivered through a catheter to a small area of tissue inside of the
heart that causes the abnormal heart rhythm. This energy
"disconnects" the pathway of the abnormal rhythm. Ablation can be
used to treat most SVTs, atrial flutter, and some atrial and
ventricular tachycardias. It can also be used to disconnect the
electrical pathway between the atria and the ventricles, which may
be useful in people with atrial fibrillation. Ablation may be
combined with other procedures to achieve optimal treatment.
Pulmonary vein isolation
In people with frequent, paroxysmal or persistent atrial fibrillation,
isolation of the pulmonary veins (pulmonary vein isolation) is a type of
ablation that targets areas thought to cause atrial fibrillation. The goal
is to create rings of scar that isolate the foci responsible for triggering
atrial fibrillation.
WHAT DEVICES ARE USED TO TREAT ARRHYTHMIAS?
 A permanent pacemaker is a device that sends small electrical impulses to the
heart muscle to maintain a normal heart rate. The pacemaker has a pulse generator
(which houses a battery and a tiny computer) and leads (wires) that send impulses
from the pulse generator to the heart muscle, as well as sense the heart's electrical
activity. Pacemakers are mostly used to prevent your heart from beating too
slowly.
 An implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) is a sophisticated device used
primarily to treat ventricular tachycardia and ventricular fibrillation, two life-
threatening heart rhythms. The ICD constantly monitors the heart rhythm. When it
detects a very fast, abnormal heart rhythm, it delivers energy to the heart muscle to
cause the heart to beat in a normal rhythm again.
WHAT ARE SOME LIFESTYLE-RELATED RISK FACTORS
FOR ARRHYTHMIAS?
 If you smoke or use tobacco products, quit.
 Limit your intake of alcohol.
 Limit or stop using caffeine. Some people are sensitive to caffeine and may notice more
symptoms when using caffeinated products.
 Don’t take stimulants. Beware of stimulants used in cough and cold medications and
herbal or nutritional supplements. Some of these medications contain ingredients that
promote irregular heart rhythms.
 Control high blood pressure.
 If you have obesity, working toward a weight that's healthy for you can lower your risk
for arrhythmia.
 Control blood sugar levels.
 Treat sleep apnea. Treatment may decrease your risk for arrhythmia.
 If you notice that your irregular heart rhythm occurs more often with certain activities,
you should avoid them.
 CONCLUSION AND BIBLIOGRAPHY
Conclusion:
There are many ways for your heartbeat to be irregular. Some of these
irregular heartbeats, called arrhythmias, don’t cause symptoms. It’s
important that you see your healthcare provider if you do notice
symptoms like extreme fatigue or heart palpitations. Your provider will
help you decide on the best treatment option for you, but you can help
yourself by making appropriate lifestyle changes.

Bibliography :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arrhythmia
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/16749-arrhythmia
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