What Are Cardiac Arrhythmias Called?

A cardiac arrhythmia, or heart arrhythmia, is a heart rhythm problem that causes the heart to beat too slow, too fast or irregularly. A fast heartbeat is called a tachycardia and a slow heartbeat is called a bradycardia.

Tachycardia

• According to the Mayo Clinic, tachycardias are resting heart rates that are faster than 100 beats per minute and may occur in the heart’s atria or ventricles.

Bradycardia

• Bradycardias are slower than 60 beats per minute while the heart is at rest and may occur in patients whose heart does not pump an adequate amount of blood. Some physically fit individuals may have bradycardia due to an efficiently functioning heart that does not require treatment.

Premature Heartbeats

• A premature heartbeat occurs when an extra heartbeat takes place between two normal heartbeats. This condition may feel like a skipped heartbeat.

Causes

• Arrhythmias may result from scarred heart tissue that develops after a heart attack and may also be caused by heart disease or high blood pressure. Smoking, drug abuse and excessive consumption of caffeine or alcohol may trigger heart arrhythmias.

Symptoms

• In addition to abnormal heart rates, the symptoms of cardiac arrhythmias may include chest pain, shortness of breath or lightheadedness.

Treatments

• Slow heartbeats may be treated with the implantation of a pacemaker in the chest that stimulates a correct heart rhythm. Fast heartbeats may be treated with anti-arrhythmic medications, heart ablation therapy or other therapies.