Questions & Information on Irregular Heartbeat or Heart Arrhythmia

Understanding Irregular Heartbeats

It can be upsetting to learn that you have an irregular heartbeat, also known as an arrhythmia. At South Miami Heart Center, we understand your concern. Our Heart Rhythm Center helps educate patients so that they can take control of their heart health. This Web page is a summary of information about arrhythmias—what causes them, how they affect your heart and what you can do about them.

About Irregular Heartbeats

If you have been diagnosed with an arrhythmia, your heart has an abnormal or irregular heartbeat. Your doctor might also refer to your condition as dysrhythmia. An irregular heartbeat can cause your heart to pump less effectively. To understand how this affects your heartbeat, visualize your heart as a pump. Like any pump, it needs electrical energy. Your heart’s pumping action is fueled by its own electrical conduction system.  Any dysfunction in this system makes your heart beat too fast, too slow or unevenly. This causes heart arrhythmia.

Arrhythmias create problems with the contractions of your heart chambers. If the electrical signal causes your heart to pump too fast, the heart’s lower chambers can’t fill with enough blood. If the electrical signal causes your heart to pump too slow or too irregularly, your heart can’t pump out sufficient amounts of blood to your body.

Are You at Risk?

The following factors raise your risk of developing an arrhythmia:

• Aging
• Previous or current heart problems
• Genetics
• High blood pressure
• Overactive or underactive thyroid
• Cough and cold medicines containing pseudoephedrine and certain prescription drugs
• Obesity
• Diabetes
• Obstructive sleep apnea
• Electrolyte imbalances
• Alcoholic beverages
• Stimulants such as caffeine, nicotine, amphetamines and cocaine

Symptoms

Whether your heartbeat is too fast, too slow or too irregular, the symptoms are the same. Some symptoms associated with heart arrhythmias include, but are not limited to:

• Weakness
• Fatigue
• Palpitations
• Low blood pressure
• Dizziness
• Fainting

Diagnosing Arrhythmias

If you need to be evaluated for arrhythmia, South Miami Heart Center is the right place to be. Our Center for Cardiac Electrophysiology offers the latest advances in the study and treatment of heart rhythm abnormalities. Our electrophysiologists and specially trained staff provide diagnostic tests, including EKG, complete electrophysiology studies and other monitoring methods.

Treatments

South Miami Heart Center offers several treatment options for people with arrhythmias. If your irregular heartbeat doesn’t cause problems, you may be fine with regular medical examinations. If you’re having problems, our specialists can design a treatment plan for your condition. If your symptoms are mild, treatment may simply involve lifestyle changes or medication.

The Center for Cardiac Electrophysiology staff can implant and monitor devices, such as pacemakers and defibrillators, that regulate the heartbeat. Using real-time, three-dimensional images of the heart, they can see inside the chambers and determine if the device is functioning effectively or if adjustments are needed.

A treatment choice for patients with rapid arrhythmias causing atrial fibrillation, supraventricular tachycardia or atrial flutter is cardioversion. During the procedure, the patient is connected to an EKG monitor that is connected to a defibrillator.  At a precise moment during the EKG cycle, the defibrillator delivers an electrical shock to the heart to convert the rhythm to a normal one.

To perform an ablation without surgery, an electrophysiology specialist inserts a catheter into the heart through a vessel in the groin or arm. Once the arrhythmia has been located by an electrophysiology study (EPS), the catheter is moved to the site. The arrhythmia site is then destroyed by applying very high frequency radio waves to heat and destroy the tissue or by applying an extremely cold substance to destroy the tissue.

To start or regulate a slow heartbeat, doctors can implant a pacemaker under the skin. This small device sends electrical signals to the heart. It is also used to make the heart beat if the heart's natural pacemaker (the SA node) is not functioning properly. Pacemakers are typically used for slow arrhythmias such as sinus bradycardia, sick sinus syndrome or heart block.

Similar to a pacemaker, an implantable converter defibrillator (ICD) is a small device that is implanted under the skin, usually in the shoulder area, just under the collarbone. An ICD senses the heartbeat rate. When the heart rate exceeds a rate programmed into the device, it delivers a small electrical shock to the heart to slow the heart rate. Today, many newer ICDs are combined with a pacemaker to deliver an electrical signal that regulates a sluggish heart rate. ICDs are also used for fast arrhythmias such as ventricular tachycardia or ventricular fibrillation.

South Miami Heart Center also offers surgical treatment for arrhythmias. This is usually done only when all other options fail. Surgical ablation is a major procedure requiring general anesthesia. The chest is opened, exposing the heart. The site of the arrhythmia is located and the tissue is destroyed or removed in order to eliminate the source of the arrhythmia.

Physician Referral

Get an online referral to a South Miami Heart Center physician or call the South Miami Heart Center Physician Referral line at 786-662-2222.