Palpitations and arrhythmias

The decision to take amiodarone is often a difficult one, given the remarkable effectiveness of the drug on one hand, and on the other, its difficult side effect profile. Share the process you and your doctor went through when you decided whether to take amiodarone.

An implantable defibrillator (ICD) is an implantable device that monitors a person's heart rhythm, and automatically delivers lifesaving treatment if a dangerous heart arrhythmia occurs.

Cardiac arrest occurs when the heart suddenly stops beating, usually due to a cardiac arrhythmia.

Sudden cardiac death (SCD) is the name given to any death that occurs suddenly and usually without warning, and that is due to a cardiac condition.

Several lifestyle considerations, including driving recommendations, need to be taken into account if you are considering an implantable defibrillator (ICD).

If you have an increased risk of sudden death, you should consider an implantable defibrillator (ICD).

Patients with Long QT syndrome have a higher risk of sudden death during exercise. Here are current exercise recommendations for people with Long QT syndrome.

Catecholamine polymorphic ventricular tachycardia, CPVT, is an uncommon cause of sudden death during exercise. Here are some exercise recommendations for patients with CPVT

Brugada syndrome can cause sudden death during exercise. Here are current exercise recommendations for individuals with Brugada syndrome.

Exercise recommendations for people who have myocarditis.

Exercise recommendations with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, HCM

Exercise recommendations for people with arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC)

Exercise recommendations with Marfan syndrome

Sudden death in young athletes, fortunately a rare event, can be caused by several kinds of underlying cardiac conditions.

Tell us what turned out to be the cause of your palpitations

A cardiac arrest is not the same thing as a heart attack. Here is the difference.

A description of the electrophysiology study.

Bradycardias, or slow heart rhythm disturbances, can be caused either by disorders of the sinus node, or of the AV conducting system including the AV node, His bundle, and bundle branches.

Tachycardias are fast heart rhythm disturbances. They are categorized as either the supraventricular tachycardias or ventricular tachycardia.

PACs, or premature atrial complexes, are the most common of the heart arrhythmias.

Cardiac arrest occurs when the heart stops beating, usually as a consequence of ventricular tachycardia or fibrillation. Unless cardiac circulation is restored within a few minutes with a defibrillator, sudden death ensues.

Diagnosing cardiac arrhythmias usually requires recording the heart rhythm until symptoms occur. Sometimes an electrophysiology study is helpful.

The antiarrhythmic drugs can be useful in treating cardiac arrhythmias, but are often difficult to use safely.

Ablation procedures treat abnormal electrical pathways in the heart. These procedures can sometimes eliminate certain heart arrhythmias.

A review of what you need to know about cardiac arrhythmias, or heart rhythm problems.

The cardiac electrical system controls the heart rate and coordinates the contraction of cardiac muscle.

Articles on cardiac arrhythmias and their treatment.

Non-cardiac drugs that prolong the QT interval produce a 3-fold increase in sudden death

A federal judge overturned the FDA's ban on ephedra - for legal, not medical reasons

Why do I still have SVT?

A discussion of palpitations - one of the most common symptoms related to heart problems

How exercise can help to prevent atrial fibrillation

Inappropriate sinus tachycardia (IST) is a fairly common cause of tachycardia and palpitations.

Premature ventricular complexes: one of the most common cardiac arrhythmias, and one of the most difficult to treat.

A review of long QT syndrome - a relatively common and potentially fatal arrhythmia

Amiodarone is the most powerful antiarrhythmic drug, but may be the most toxic.

How to manage anxiety after placement of an ICD

Here's what you need to know about antiarrhythmic drugs and medications.

Supraventricular tachycardia, or SVT, is a category of cardiac arrhythmias characterized by a heart rate that is too fast.

An arrhythmia is an abnormal heart rhythm.

Tachycardia means that your heart is beating faster than normal -- specifically, a heart rate faster than 100 beats per minute.

Bradycardia means a slow heart rate, specifically, a heart rate slower than 60 beats per minute.

A tachyarrhythmia is an abnormal heart rhythm that results in a rapid heart rate.

A bradyarrhythmia is an abnormally slow heart rhythm, usually due to disease in the heart's electrical system.

The sinus node is a nest of specialized cells, located in the upper part of the heart's right atrium, that controls the normal heart rate.

An accessory pathway is an abnormal, extra electrical connection in the heart, present from birth, which connects one of the atria with one of the ventricles.

Atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia (AVNRT) is the most common cause of supraventricular tachycardia (SVT).

Sinus nodal reentrant tachycardia (SNRT) is a type of supraventricular tachycardia that arises from the sinus node.

Atrioventricular reciprocating tachycardia (AVRT) one of the more common varieties of supraventricular tachycardia (SVT).

Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome (WPW) is a cardiac condition which produces supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) and characteristic changes on the ECG.

Intra-atrial reentrant tachycardia (IART) is an uncommon variety of supraventricular tachycardia (SVT).

Automatic tachycardias are fast, abnormal heart rhythms caused by the rapid production of electrical signals within the heart.

Reentrant tachycardias are a form of rapid heart arrhythmias that usually start and stop quite suddenly.

The atrioventricular Node, or AV node, is a key part of the heart's electrical system. The AV node helps transmit the heart's electrical impulse from the atria to the ventricles.

A review of the supraventricular tachycardias (SVT), a group of heart arrhythmias that originate in the atrial chambers of the heart.

Brugada syndrome is an uncommon congenital abnormality in the heart's electrical system that can cause ventricular fibrillation and sudden death.

Arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC) is a type of cardiac arrhythmia caused by a genetically-mediated heart muscle disease.

Repetitive monomorphic ventricular tachycardia (RMVT) is one of the rare types of ventricular tachycardia seen in younger people with no apparent heart disease.

Ventricular fibrillation is the most dangerous of the cardiac arrhythmias.

Ventricular tachycardia is a potentially life-threatening, rapid heart rhythm disturbance that originates in the ventricles.

Non-sustained ventricular tachycardia (NSVT) is an episode of ventricular tachycardia that stops by itself after a few seconds. NSVT can cause significant symptoms, and can indicate an increased risk for cardiac arrest and sudden death.

The treatment of premature ventricular complexes - PVCs - depends on the symptoms they are causing, and on any associated underlying heart disease.

Heart block, or AV block, is one of the two major causes of bradycardia (slow heart rate). Pacemakers are often used in heart block to treat or prevent symptoms.

In sinus bradycardia, a slow heart rate occurs because the heart's sinus node is generating the electrical signals that regulate the heart rhythm at a relatively reduced rate. Sometimes sinus bradycardia is normal, but at other times it requires treatment.

In sick sinus syndrome, bradycardia caused by sinus node disease is pronounced enough to produce symptoms. Atrial fibrillation also frequently occurs.

Subsidiary pacemaker cells take over the control of the heart rhythm if the sinus node should become diseased, or if heart block should occur.

Cardioversion is a procedure that stops a rapid cardiac arrhythmia, usually with an electrical shock.