Cardiac Arrhythmia
About This Condition
Cardiac arrhythmia is a term that denotes a disturbance of the heart rhythm.
Cardiac arrhythmias can range in severity from entirely benign to immediately life-threatening. If arrhythmia is suspected, a doctor should be consulted for confirmation. In addition, the use of natural substances for arrhythmia should always be supervised by a doctor.
Symptoms
Most arrhythmia does not result in symptoms, but people may experience anxiety, lightheadedness, dizziness, fainting, unusual awareness of the heartbeat, and sensations of fluttering or pounding in the chest.
Other Therapies
Medical conditions that may cause arrhythmia, such as anemia, fever, heart failure, or electrolyte imbalance, are treated accordingly. In some cases, a synchronized electrical shock (defibrillation) is applied to the heart either externally or internally (from a previously implanted device that automatically activates when a life-threatening arrhythmia is detected). When a normal rhythm cannot be established by these methods, a pacemaker (an electronic device that controls the rhythm of the heart) may be implanted surgically. A newer procedure called radiofrequency ablation may be used to destroy small areas of the heart responsible for the arrhythmia.