Your heart functions to pump blood to your other body organs. The pumping action, or contraction, is coordinated by your heart's own electrical circuit. The steady rhythmic beat of a normal heart plays a major role in the heart's ability to efficiently pump and circulate blood to the brain and throughout the entire body. An irregularity in this electrical circuit is called an arrhythmia, or heart rhythm disorder. Arrhythmias are very common, affecting millions of people worldwide, and can show up as heart rates that are too slow or too fast. These abnormal heart rhythms may be unnoticed, or may result in palpitations, dizziness or fainting.

An arrhythmia can cause:

• Rapid heartbeat (tachycardia)
• Slow heartbeat (bradycardia)
• Delayed or asynchronous heartbeat (dyssynchrony)

· Most arrhythmias are harmless, but some can be serious and can cause sudden cardiac death. Recent advances in medical technology have resulted in treatments that can control or eliminate many arrhythmias. New treatments also can significantly prolong the lives of people at high risk of fatal arrhythmias.

Life-threatening arrhythmias include:

• Ventricular tachycardia (VT), a dangerously fast rhythm in the lower two chambers of the heart.
• Ventricular fibrillation (VF), a rapid and chaotic quivering of the ventricles, which can be triggered by episodes of VT.

sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) and death within minutes..

More information :

• Bradycardias
• Tachycardias
• Heart failure
• Coronary Artery Disease

Last Updated on: 20.01.2005