Finding your rhythm: All about arrhythmia care

The average human heart beats about 115,000 times per day.

The heart beats automatically and usually runs smoothly, efficiently and accurately. But sometimes it can short-circuit, leading to an abnormal heartbeat. When your heart beats abnormally fast, slow or irregular, it’s referred to as arrhythmia.

“There are several factors that can cause a person to experience arrhythmia. Often these rhythm disturbances can be an electrical abnormality you are born with and manifests over time or related to heart disease or lifestyle,” said Cash Casey, MD, a board certified electrophysiologist at Midwest Cardiovascular Institute at Endeavor Health Elmhurst Hospital.

“Other factors that may lead to arrhythmia include high blood pressure, smoking, drinking alcohol or caffeine, stress, dehydration, exhaustion, obstructive sleep apnea, and other types of heart disease.”

Palpitations are the most common symptom and cause your heart to feel as though it’s skipping, hopping, fluttering or racing. You might also experience shortness of breath, chest pain, dizziness, sweating or fainting.

If you experience these symptoms, do not ignore them — it’s best to get them evaluated by a primary care physician or cardiac specialist. Left untreated, arrhythmias can lead to heart attack or stroke. They are also sometimes a sign of undiagnosed heart disease.

“To diagnose arrhythmia, doctors often rely on electrocardiogram (EKG) tests to tell them exactly what’s going on with your body’s electrical system,” Dr. Casey said.

“Depending on the results, some patients will go on to wear a monitor for up to a month to observe their heart’s rhythm. If an arrhythmia occurs during this time period, it can be recorded.”

If you're living with arrhythmia, there is a comprehensive range of treatment options to help you regain control of your heart health, including:

1. Lifestyle changes: Often arrhythmias can be managed through lifestyle changes such as improving diet, cutting back on alcohol and caffeine, lowering stress levels and staying hydrated.
2. Medication: Simple beta blockers can slow the heart to avoid triggering an arrhythmia.
3. Electrophysiological studies and ablation: During this minimally invasive procedure, doctors can do an internal EKG of the heart to find short circuits and abnormal electricity. Upon finding the location and cause of your arrhythmia, your doctor can do an ablation. This involves delivering a small amount of electrical energy to a particular area of the heart to get rid of abnormal activity.
4. Implantable devices: Some patients may also need a pacemaker or inflatable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD). These devices are placed under the skin in the chest area and can deliver a small shock if an abnormal heart rhythm is detected.
5. Left atrial appendage occlusion (LAAO): This technique reduces stroke risk in atrial fibrillation (AFib) patients by preventing blood clot formation without the need for blood thinning medications.
6. Lead extraction: For patients with pacemakers or defibrillators, we specialize in repairing or replacing faulty leads — a complex procedure performed by only a few centers with our level of expertise.
7. Pulsed field ablation (PFA) closure: This is a nonthermal treatment that targets and isolates the areas of the heart causing AFib, offering a safer approach with less risk to surrounding tissue.
8. Loop recorder implantation: A loop recorder is a small device implanted under the skin to continuously monitor heart rhythms over time, helping diagnose conditions like unexplained fainting or intermittent arrhythmias.

Is your heart skipping a beat? Find peace of mind with Endeavor Health's comprehensive arrhythmia care.