Heart Arrhythmia Treatment Clinic in Dubai at Clemenceau Medical Center Hospital
Heart arrhythmia is described as an irregular heartbeat. Arrhythmias or heart rhythm issues occur when the electrical signals that coordinate the heart’s beats don’t function properly. Poorly coordinated signals make the heart beat too fast (tachycardia) or too slow (bradycardia).
Types of Heart Arrhythmias
- Ventricular arrhythmias: This type starts in the lower chamber of the heart.
- Bradyarrhythmia: This occurs as a result of disease in the heart’s conduction system, such as the sinoatrial (SA) node, atrioventricular (AV) node, or HIS-Purkinje network.
- Supraventricular arrhythmias: These are arrhythmias that begin in the atria (heart’s upper chambers).
Symptoms of Heart Arrhythmia
An arrhythmia might exist in a person without manifesting any symptoms (silent). During an examination, a doctor can detect an irregular heartbeat by measuring the patient’s pulse, listening to the heart, or doing diagnostic tests. If symptoms develop, they could include:
- Fatigue
- Chest discomfort
- Dizziness or feeling lightheaded
- Pounding in the patient’s chest
- Heart palpitations
Causes of Heart Arrhythmias
Heart arrhythmia can be caused by:
- High blood pressure
- Injury from a heart attack
- Valve disorders
- Irritable tissue in the heart
- Changes in the heart muscle
- Electrolyte imbalance
Diagnosis of Heart Arrhythmia
During the diagnosis of arrhythmia, the doctor conducts a physical examination. He/she will investigate the patient’s medical history and symptoms. The doctor may recommend tests to confirm an irregular heartbeat and look for conditions that can cause arrhythmias.
The following tests may be used in the diagnosis of arrhythmia:
- Holter monitor: This is a portable device that can be worn to record a person’s heart activity while going about a normal routine.
- Echocardiogram: A transducer is placed on the patient’s chest which uses sound waves to produce images of the heart’s size, structure, and motion.
- Event recorder: This is a wearable device (ECG) that is used to find occasional arrhythmias. As soon as the symptoms appear, the patient clicks a button. It is recommended that one wears an event recorder for an extended period until symptoms of arrhythmia are observed.
- Electrocardiogram (ECG): This is used to detect the heart’s electrical activity.
- Implantable loop recorder: For frequent symptoms, the doctor may choose to implant an event recorder in the chest to continually record the heart’s electrical activity and to detect irregular heart rhythms.
Treatment of Heart Arrhythmia
Treatment for arrhythmias is dependent on whether an individual has a fast beat (tachycardia) or a slow heartbeat (bradycardia). However, some heart arrhythmias may not require treatment. In this case, the doctor recommends regular checkups to monitor the condition.
There are various treatment methods for arrhythmias that may include medication, and therapies, like vagal maneuvers, cardioversion, catheter procedures or heart surgery.
Medications for Heart Arrhythmia
Depending on the type of arrhythmia and any potential complications, several medications are used to treat arrhythmias. Sometimes, medication to regulate heart rate and re-establish a normal cardiac rhythm are frequently administered for the majority of tachycardia patients. For patients with atrial fibrillation, blood thinners may be administered to prevent blood clots.
Therapies
There are two therapies used in the treatment of arrhythmias to stop irregular heartbeat: vagal maneuvers and cardioversion.
- Cardioversion: This method may be recommended if the patient has certain types of arrhythmias, such as atrial fibrillation. With this method, the heart rhythm can be reset with medication.
- Vagal maneuvers: This method is mostly recommended for patients with a very fast heartbeat due to supraventricular tachycardia. The method affects the nervous system that controls a person’s heartbeat (vagus nerves), usually causing the heart rate to slow.
Surgical procedures
- Pacemaker: Doctors treat slow heartbeats (bradycardias) with pacemakers since there aren’t any medications that can speed up the heart.
- Catheter ablation: To block abnormal electrical signals and re-establish a regular heartbeat, electrodes at the catheter tips utilize heat or cold energy to form microscopic scars inside the patient’s heart.
- Implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD): The procedure is highly recommended for patients at a high risk of a dangerous irregular heartbeat in the lower heart chambers.
- Coronary bypass surgery: Coronary bypass is typically performed on patients who have coronary artery disease besides heart arrhythmia. The goal of the procedure is to improve blood flow to the heart.
