Listen to Your Heart . . .

Almost everyone has felt his or her heart "skip a beat" during a moment of stress or excitement, but for more than 4 million Americans, an irregular heartbeat, or "arrhythmia," is a recurring problem requiring careful monitoring by a physician.

"There are numerous causes of arrhythmias," says Dr. G. Ali Massumi, a Texas Heart Institute cardiologist. "Some people have congenital conditions, others have some form of heart disease and there are yet others that only have high blood pressure. There are also a lot of people that have no heart disease at all and still suffer from significant rhythm problems."

Though most often not life threatening, arrhythmias can be fatal and are sometimes indicators of a more serious heart problem.

"Many people with arrhythmias have normal life expectancy," says Dr. Massumi, "but if you experience symptoms of this condition, it is important to be evaluated for any underlying conditions that may need treatment."

Symptoms can include fatigue, shortness of breath, chest discomfort, feeling "light headed," feeling like your heart is "racing," a strong pulse in the neck, or even loss of consciousness.

The most common method of detecting an arrhythmia is from an electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG). Other diagnostic tools include monitors worn over a 24-hour period, long- term ambulatory patient-activated event monitors, and electrophysiology studies (EPS). An EPS is usually performed in a cardiac catheterization laboratory and involves mapping the heart's electrical impulses using a wire inserted in a vein through a small incision in the leg and threaded through to the heart.

Lifestyle changes combined with medications are the most common method of treating recurring arrhythmias. Depending on the nature and severity of the problem, other treatments such as interventional procedures, implantable devices or surgery may be necessary. A particular form of treatment, called radiofrequency catheter ablation, has become the treatment of choice in many young patients with arrhythmias.

- From Texas Heart Institute

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©2006 Texas Medical Center

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