The normal heart rate is between 60 and 100 beats per minute. If the heart beats faster or slower or produces erratic rhythms, it causes shortness of breath, loss of consciousness requiring hospitalization, cardiac arrest or even death. The electrical impulses that regulate the heart rate misfire and send it into an irregular heartbeat.
Medications
Antiarrhythmic drugs work in a number of ways. One mechanism blocks specific chemicals such as sodium, potassium or calcium from entering the heart tissue. Another type inhibits the chemical receptors from accepting them. The drugs break into seven categories. The doctor gives some orally and others intravenously. Nine drugs come in both forms. Current Medical Diagnosis and Treatment, 2010 lists side effects such as photosensitivity, bronchial spasms, hypothyroidism and central nervous system depression as just some of the side effects of these drugs. Despite the risks, their benefits often outweigh the dangers of an untreated cardiac arrhythmia.
Pacemakers
A pacemaker is a device that a cardiologist implants in the chest. It sends electrical impulses to the heart and takes over the rate and rhythm of the heart beat. The cardiologist uses pacemakers to treat conditions such as heart block and symptomatic slow heart rates (bradycardia). Advanced models sense a change in a patient’s motion or a fluctuation in respiratory rate. This information signals the pacemaker to adjust the heart rate accordingly.
Surgery
Catheter ablation is a surgical procedure that delivers radio frequency waves to probes at the end of a catheter. This technique destroys (ablates) the area of the heart that causes the malfunction. The normal impulses of the heart then bypass the ablated area and the heart beat returns to its normal rate and rhythm. According to 2010 Current Medical Diagnosis and Treatment, catheter ablation has greater than 90 percent success if the patient is a good candidate for the procedure. This is a good alternative for people who experience drug side effects.
Defibrillation
Medications, ablation and pacemakers treat chronic arrhythmias. Defibrillation is the option for cases of relapsing symptoms and in emergency situations. Dorland’s Medical Dictionary defines the defibrillator as an electronic machine used to counteract fast or slow heart rates by applying brief electroshock to the heart. The shocks go through paddles directly to the chest or through electrodes stuck to the chest.
About this Author
Vita Ruvolo-Wilkes is a lifetime writer. She’s been published in the NC Folklore Journal, The Montford newsletter, and Boating Industry Magazine. Her B.A. degree in education was earned at St. Joseph’s College, N.Y. She taught special needs children. Later she graduated from the Wake Forest University School of Medicine Physician’s Assistant program and worked for the Veteran’s Administration in primary care.
