Treatment Options for Arrhythmia
There are different treatments for arrhythmias,
depending on the severity and type. Before recommending
a treatment option, your doctor may order an
electrophysiology study (EPS) to better understand
your rhythm problem.
Treatments include:
- Medications - Many patients will
respond to medication that works to stabilize
the heart's electrical system.
- Cardioversion - Electrical currents
are sent to the heart to stop atrial fibrillation
or other abnormal rhythms and re-establish
its natural beat. The electrical shocks are
delivered through electrode pads placed on
the chest and back. Short-term anesthetics
are used during this procedure to maximize
comfort to the patient.
- Cardiac Pacemaker - A device used
when the heartbeat is too slow, in which a
tiny electrical impulse is applied directly
to the heart muscle to create a heartbeat similar
to what normally occurs. A tiny battery housed
in the pulse generator of the pacemaker provides
the electrical impulse. This pulse generator
typically is placed under the skin just beneath
the collar bone.
- Implantable cardioverter-defibrillator
(ICD) - An implantable electronic device
designed to monitor the heart's rhythm, determine
if the rhythm is abnormal and give therapy
if necessary in the form of pacing or a shock.
- Radiofrequency ablation (RF ablation) -
In RF ablation, an electrical current deactivates
the abnormal electrical tissue in the heart
that is causing the rapid heart rhythm. The
electrical energy is delivered to the heart
through a catheter (a small tube placed through
a vein, usually in the leg, arm or neck).
- Biventricular pacemakers and defibrillators -
Devices that are implanted in heart failure
patients, usually caused by a heart attack
or a weakening of the heart muscle. These devices
can reestablish a normal heart beat in a weakened
heart by pacing both bottom chambers of the
heart and improving the way the heart mechanically
functions.
For more information: Educational information
about arrhythmias
and treatments, by Francis
E. Marchlinski, MD, Director, UPHS Electrophysiology
Program. Last updated 4/10/2003 (Microsoft Word
document, 140KB)
Reviewed by: David Hartman,
MSN, CRNP
Last updated: November 2005
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