Irregular functioning of the heart as a result of a disorder in the cardiac electrical system is called arrhythmia or dysrhythmia. Arrhythmias can occur as bradycardia (slow heart beat) as a result of the slowing down of the heart's electrical signals, tachycardia (fast heart beat) as the electrical signals accelerate, and rhythm irregularity as a result of irregular signals. A pulse rate below 60 per minute at rest is called bradycardia, and a pulse rate above 100 per minute is called tachycardia. Rhythm disorders can cause dizziness, weakness, palpitations, sweating, shortness of breath, chest pain, falling and rarely fainting in patients.
Rhythm disorders that manifest themselves as a slowing down of the heart are called bradycardia. It occurs as a result of disorders in the cells in the center (sinus node) that generate electrical signals in the heart or in the conduction pathways. It may manifest itself as occasional pauses or excessive slowing down of the heart. The pulse may not be intermittent or may drop to 25-30 beats per minute. As a result, the patient experiences symptoms such as fainting attacks, dizziness, weakness or getting tired easily. This condition may be caused by deterioration of the conduction system due to aging, infections affecting the heart muscle, coronary artery diseases, heart attack, some medications, hypothyroidism (goiter) and electrolyte disorders in the blood. Although many of them can be corrected with treatment, implantation of a pacemaker is the only mandatory option in the treatment of a significant portion of bradycardias.
Tachycardias are heart rates above 100 beats per minute at rest. It manifests itself in the patient as palpitations. They often start suddenly and end suddenly. Fatigue, insomnia, stress, and sudden excitement may cause palpitations to begin. Sometimes palpitations may occur for no reason. You never know when the palpitations will start or how long they will last. Again, during palpitations, sweating, dizziness, shortness of breath, blackout, and even fainting may occur.
When tachycardias originate from the atria in the heart, they are called supreventricular tachycardias. Supraventricular tachycardias are generally benign arrhythmias, starting suddenly in the form of palpitations and continuing for a while, then ending suddenly on their own. They are terminated with various medications administered intravenously in the hospital or emergency departments. During palpitations, dizziness, blurred vision, and numbness may occur. Fatigue and exhaustion may occur after palpitations.
Tachycardias originating from the ventricles of the heart are called ventricular tachycardias. Ventricular tachycardias are more dangerous than supraventricular tachycardias. Types of ventricular tachycardia called ventricular fibrillation, which causes sudden death within a few minutes, may be observed in people who have had a heart attack and heart failure, in those with heart muscle disease (cardiomyopathy) and in those with congenital genetic ion channel disorders. Sudden cardiac death may occur without any prior clinical symptoms in those with congenital genetic ion channel disorders and heart muscle hypertrophy.
Another rhythm disorder that originates from the atria and causes irregular heartbeats is the formation of clots in the heart, causing clots to be thrown into the body. and as a result, it can cause severe complications such as paralysis. To prevent this, patients must receive anticoagulant treatment.
There are two options for the treatment of rhythm disorders. The first of these is rhythm regulating drugs. The frequency of palpitations can be reduced or completely suppressed with drug treatment. However, when the drug is stopped, palpitations reappear. In some patients, the drug may not have any effect or they may not be able to use the drug due to drug-related side effects. In such cases, radiofrequency ablation therapy, which is the second and definitive treatment option, must be applied. In radiofrequency ablation treatment; Without anesthetizing the patient, the focus or mechanism causing arrhythmia in the heart is detected through catheters inserted into the heart by anesthetizing the groin area with a single needle. Then, by applying radiofrequency energy to this determined focus (popularly known as burning therapy), the arrhythmia is eliminated. After treatment, patients can return to work one day later.
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