Arrhythmias Health Video

Cardiac arrhythmia is a term covering a broad group of conditions that denote irregular electrical activity in the heart. Learn more about arrhythmias, including symptoms and treatments in this health video.

Take Action

Maintain control of blood pressure
Do not smoke
Do not drink alcohol to excess
Visit your cardiologist

About this Author

Dr. Dave Weiland has been practicing cardiology in the Bay Area for 21 years. On top of operating a practive in San Pablo, CA for the past 15 years, Dr. Weiland works with eight other doctors in traveling all around the Bay Area to treat patients everywhere. Dr. Weiland graduated from the Ohio State Medical School in 1981; following that with an additional six years of study at Tufts University. Dr. Weiland received his training in cardiology at the New England Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts, and now teaches medical students about cardiology.

DR. DAVE WEILAND: Hi. This is Dr. Dave Weiland. Today we will be talking about arrhythmias of the heart. Arrhythmias involve situations where the heartbeat is not regular. It could be too fast, it can be too slow. This would generally fall under determining the arrhythmias of the heart. Symptoms of arrhythmias often involve feeling dizzy, fainting, or feeling a sense of palpitations or extra beats in the chest. Treatment of arrhythmias involves finding the underlying cause. When our patients are suspected of having arrhythmias, we like to do an electrocardiogram which will show us the electrical activities of the heart. Oftentimes, we do a 24-hour monitor where we can monitor the heartbeats for 24 hours. This is generally referred to as a Holter monitor, and other testing such as echocardiography and treadmill testing maybe of benefit to look for underlying causes of the abnormal heartbeat or the arrhythmia. Treatment of arrhythmias would involve finding out what is actual causing the arrhythmia and seeing what the arrhythmia is. In some patients, a pacemaker is needed. Oftentimes, arrhythmias can be controlled with medication. Prevention of arrhythmias in patients who are at risk for arrhythmia would often involve good control of blood pressure. Certain things such as smoking can exacerbate arrhythmias. Alcohol, unfortunately, can exacerbate arrhythmia and if this is the case, the physician will instruct the patient to avoid these risk factors. How to take action: If one is suspected of having an arrhythmia or has an arrhythmia, they should be under the care of a cardiologist. There is actually a field in cardiology now called electrophysiology, where physicians are trained predominantly just to treat electrical issues in the heart. If your cardiologist feels that he cannot control the problems, he should refer you to an electrophysiologist who can more properly diagnose and treat your arrhythmia.