The underlying
cause of an arrhythmia provides the basis for selecting the best
treatment. Treatments fall into several main categories along
a continuum from the least to most invasive. In general, the least
invasive treatment that effectively controls the arrhythmia is
the treatment of choice. Options including lifestyle changes,
medication, devices, ablation procedures, and surgery, including
the implantation of pacemakers and defibrillators.
Lifestyle Changes
Since other heart disorders increase the risk of developing arrhythmias,
lifestyle changes often are recommended. In addition, improving
health can lesson the symptoms of arrhythmias and other heart
disorders as well as prove beneficial to overall patient health.
Medications
Medications can control abnormal heart rhythms or treat related
conditions such as high blood pressure, coronary artery disease,
heart failure and heart attack. Drugs also may be administered
to reduce the risk of blood clots in patients with certain types
of arrhythmias. [more]
Electronic
Devices
By delivering a controlled electric shock to the heart, defibrillators
or cardioverters "shock" the heart back into a normal
heart rhythm.
Sometimes
the devices are external, such as in an emergency situation. Often,
the electronics are implanted in the patient’s chest.
Implanted Cardioverter Defibrillators
(ICDs)
ICDs are 99 percent effective in stopping life-threatening arrhythmias
and are the most successful therapy to treat ventricular fibrillation,
the major cause of sudden cardiac death. ICDs continuously monitor
the heart rhythm, automatically function as pacemakers for heart
rates that are too slow, and deliver life-saving shocks if a dangerously
fast heart rhythm is detected. [more]
Pacemakers
Devices that “pace” the heart rate when it is too
slow (bradycardia) can take over for the heart’s natural
pacemaker, the sinoatrial node, when it is functioning improperly.
Pacemakers monitor and regulate the rhythm of the heart and transmit
electrical impulses to stimulate the heart if it is beating too
slowly. [more]
Devices for Heart Failure
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently approved
a special type of pacemaker for certain patients with heart failure.
In Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy, an implanted device paces
both the left and right ventricles (lower chambers) of the heart
simultaneously.This resynchronizes muscle contractions and improves
the efficiency of the weakened heart. [more]
Cardiac
Ablation
In this procedure, one or more flexible, thin tubes (catheters)
are guided via x-ray into the blood vessels and directed to the
heart muscle. A burst of radiofrequency energy destroys very small
areas of tissue that give rise to abnormal electrical signals.
[more]
Surgery
Although surgery is sometimes used to treat abnormal heart rhythms,
it is more commonly elected to treat other cardiac problems, such
as coronary artery disease and heart failure. Correcting these
conditions may reduce the likelihood of arrhythmias.
For
more information about heart attack and related disorders, go
to:
The
Normal Heart
Symptoms of heart disease
Treatments for heart disease
Risk Factors and Prevention
Sudden Cardiac Death (SCD)
