Arrhythmia is an irregular
heartbeat caused by a malfunction in the electrical impulses to the heart.
During arrhythmia, the heart either beats too slow (bradycardia), too fast
(tachycardia) or irregularly (atrial fibrillation). Some cardiac arrhythmias occur without symptoms. Others
may cause noticeable symptoms, such as: Heart palpitations or fluttering,
skipped or extra heart beat, weakness, fatigue, dizziness or light-headedness,
fainting, shortness of breath or chest discomfort
After assessing your symptoms and medical
history and clinical examination. Dr
Khoo may order additional tests to confirm an arrhythmia diagnosis including
blood work, electrocardiogram (ECG) echocardiogram, holter monitor, event
recorder or others.
Treating slow heartbeats (bradycardia) –
If slow heartbeats do not have a cause that can be corrected, a pacemaker is
often the treatment of choice as there are no medications that can speed up
your heart reliably. A pacemaker is a small device that’s usually implanted
near your collarbone. One or more electrode-tipped wires run from the pacemaker
through your blood vessels to your inner heart. If your heart rate is too slow
or if it stops, the pacemaker sends out electrical impulses that stimulate your
heart to beat at a steady rate
Treating fast heartbeats (tachycardia) –
treatments may include vagal manoeuvres, medications to control the heart rate
or Electrophysiological studies (EPS) with a view of radiofrequency ablation
(RFA).
Example of Holter shows Atrial
Fibrillation