Arrhythmia Causes, Treatment and Prevention

Arrhythmia causes:
 - stress, neurosis;
 - damage of central and vegetative nervous system (skull traumas, brain neoplasm, stroke);
 - myocard disease;
 - electrolytic balance disorder (changes of level of magnesium, potassium and other substances in blood);
 - intoxication with medications and toxic substances.

Arrhythmia treatment
First of all, it is necessary to find causes of heartbeating rhythm disorder and neutralize them. Patient should keep to a bed regimen, it is recommended rest-cure and no physical strains.

In case of heart block are prescribed medications which do normalize heart rhythm such as daturia, aminophylline, isadrine. In continuous arrhythmia are prescribed procaine hydrochloride and potassium chloride. Ectopic heartbeat requires drugs that improve heart work such as aminophylline and nitroglycerin.

Arrhythmia prevention
A man with arrhythmia should avoid physical and psychoemotional stress. In order to maintain heart work include in your diet as much peaches and blackberries as possible.

Arrhythmia is a serious disease which requires from patient careful attitude towards proper health.

Dangers of Arrhythmia

 The degree of severity depends on what type of Cardiac dysrhythmia (arrhythmia) patient has. Thus sinus arrhythmia more frequently occurs in young people.

It is not so virulent as other types of  arrhythmia, however, sometimes it may be a sign of more serious diseases such as circulatory failure, brain tumor, anemia and various infections.

Severe attack of heart block may cause brain ischemia. If the attack lasts more than five minutes it may lead to patient's death.

Continuous arrhythmia is most common type of arrhythmia. It leads to development of ishemic stroke. As a rule, patients complain on palpitation, discomfort in heart area, feelings of fear and anxiety, nausea and vomiting.

Ectopic paroxysmal tachycardia occurs suddenly and is characterized with attacks of heartbeat with frequency of more than 200 beats per minute. Patient experiences such symptoms as darkening in the eyes, dramatic blood pressure drop, unpleasant sensations in heart area, his face becomes pale.

Types of Cardiac Dysrhythmia (Arrhythmia)

Healthy heart has a regular sinus rhythm with normal frequency.

However, medical advicers often notice not only changes in heartbeating rhythm but also failure in this beats. Such rhythms failures are called Cardiac dysrhythmia or arrhythmia and presents risk for life.

Cardiac dysrhythmia is caused by changes in major heart functions such as heart excitability, automatism and capacity.

There are several types of Cardiac dysrhythmia:

• heart block is a failure of heart work connected with slowing or breakdown in carrying impulses via cardiac conduction system;
• continuous arrhythmia shows with irregular heart work and its chaotic beats;
• sinus arrhythmia shows with acceleration of heartbeats when breathing in and their slowing when breathing out;
• ectopic heartbeat shows with immature heartbeating. 

Arrhythmia Treatment

Medication treatment
There exists four groups of antiarrhythmic drugs:
 - Membrane stabilizing drugs such as quinidin, lidocaine, allapinin. It is well known that in many diseases first of all suffer cell membranes. The effectiveness of complex therapy depends on restructuration of cell membranes and their protection which provide membrane stabilizing drugs.
 - Beta-adrenoreceptor blockers such as propranolol and its analogues. Those drugs slow down conduction speed of electrical pulse, reduce frequency and heart force.
 - Amiodarone slows down sinus rhythms and prolongs time for actuation conduction.
 - Calcium channel inhibitors. Major and most effective antiarrhythmic drug from this group is verapamil which reduces heart rate frequency and inhibits conduction in atrioventricular node.

Placement of cardiostimulator
Cardiostimulator is a medical device used for correction of heart rate. Primary objective of cardiostimulator is intrusion of a certain deflate rate when the heart beats rarely or in case of electrophysiological incoordination in auricular contraction.  In this incoordination, impulse going from sinoatrial node spreads to auricles and not achieves ventricles.

As a result, auricles do dwindle in their own, more frequent rhythm, and ventricles too. Cardiostimulator is small and is placed in a hermetic metal envelope. Modern cardiostimulators conceive own cardiac electrical activity and are able to differ adequate heart rhythm from its disorder. When device gets information about rhythm disturbance, it begins to generate impulses for cardiac muscle stimulation.

Radiofrequency ablation
Radiofrequency ablation consists of restitution of normal heart rhythm by burning small area of cardiac muscle. Usually this operation is performed under local anesthesia. Depending on heart section, where operation is going to be performed, doctor needles patient's femoral vein or arteria, subclavian vein.

Via prick under X-Ray control are inserted electrodes into heart cavity. At the beginning, doctor performs electrophysiological study of heart to detect zones that are source of arrhythmia and then acts on zones with radio-frequency energy by burning it. After that is performed one more time electrophysiological study  to estimate the effectiveness of treatment and if all indicants satisfy the doctor, he finishes the operation.

The operation is made in cases of ciliary arrhythmia and paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia.

Arrhythmia Symptoms

The intensity of arrhythmia symptoms depends on the disease type and cardiac rhythm rate.

Major symptoms are:
 - Palpitation. Paroxysmal tachycardia is characterized with sudden appearing and sudden stoppage of palpation attacks, i.e. feeling of beats in heart area. As a rule, they appear in transition moments from normal rhythm into arrhythmia and vise versa.

 - Dizziness, loss of consciousness and cramps appear because of sudden reduction of blood amount and cardiac arrest.

 - Dull, aching and sometimes acute pain in chest area that often is caused by insufficient blood inflow in heart.

 - Shortness of breath, rapid fatigability, edema of shanks and footsteps appear when develops backward heart failure in permanent rhythm disturbance (for example, in ciliary arrhythmia).

Dangerous Diseases In Old Age

Periodic loss of consciousness
Loss of consciousness is connected with sudden interruption of blood supply into brain.

Causes:

• sudden lowering of blood pressure
• sudden drop in pulse rate

Drop in pulse rate (bradycardia) occurs in case of fragility of sinoatrial node. Sinoatrial node is found in right atrium and it produces electrical pulses with the frequency 60 – 80 in a minute. That is how occurs pulse of cardiac muscle.

Electric excitation extends over ventricles and the heart throws blood at the rate of 60 – 80. During periodic losses of consciousness the sinoatrial node temporarily goes out and in heart do appear additional excitation focus. Appears arrhythmia. In these moments man loses his consciousness, falls down and thus risk of loss is extremely high.

One more cause for rhythm disturbance is cardiac conduction system. Despite the activity of pacemakers, its impulses do not achieve cardiac muscle. Signs of this disturbance are common: brachycardia (slow pulse) and dizziness.

The diagnosis is made simply – for 24 hours patient wears a portable device that records heart rate. This method is called Holter monitoring.

Treatment
Rhythm disturbance is treated with artificial pacemakers. Microdevice are implanted under skin in breast area and its electrodes are implanted into right atrium and right ventricle. Artificial pacemakers do imitate normal work of sinoatrial node and cardiac conduction system. A particular frequency of rhythm is set and the heart follows this rhythm. The operation is well tolerated by patients.

Pay attention!

• Fantness is a sign of heart rhythm disturbance.
• When losses of consciousness occur frequently, it is necessary to consult the doctor.