|
|||||||
|
|
|
|||||
|
|
|||||||
advertisement
ARRHYTHMIAS
|
I would like to point out that cardiac arrhythmias are the number-one cause of death in the Western World. They kill more than 400,000 Americans every year. Cardiac arrhythmias strike like lightning, with no warning. Even the slightest heart abnormality can cause arrhythmias, and it is well known that many patients with MVP experience them. In one article it states that a missed beat from being pulled over by a police officer is quite harmless and normal. This is not what most of us experience, and I believe everything should be done to lower our risks of sudden death due to arrhythmias. Proper testing should be done and treatment given accordingly. |
| DEFINITION: | Arrhythmias are disruptions in the natural rhythm of the heartbeat. Bradycardia is an abnormal slow heart beat and Tachycardia is an abnormal increase in the resting heart rate. |
| TYPES OF ARRHYTHMIAS: | Palpitations: this is the feeling of a pounding heart beat whether regular or irregular. There are 2 types, supraventricular and ventricular. In both upper and lower chambers of the heart premature contraction that are early or extra beats can occur. These contractions are harmless in normal hearts, but in those with heart disease investigation needs to be done. Ectopic beats: these are premature beats, often felt as skipped beats. Flutter and Fibrillation: this is a normal steady beating of the heart converted by electrical error into a rapid twitching of the muscle. This ineffective functioning results in an insufficient supply of blood being carried to the body tissues. |
| SYMPTOMS: | include: shortness of breath, chest pain, sweating, nausea, lightheadedness/faintness. (see your doctor if you have these symptoms.) Pulse may be different in both ankles or both wrists. |
| RISK FACTORS: | Stress, caffeine, exercise, smoking, occasional illicit drug use, cocaine abuse, family history, history of cardiac, kidney, pulmonary thyroid disease, diabetes, hypotension, hyperventilation, injury or shock, dehydration, asthma medications |
| "DR." TESTING:
|
Electrocardiogram to record the electrical activity of the heart. Types of ECG are resting, exercise (stress test), or a 24 or 48 hour Holter monitor which the patient wears while going about their daily business. Also available is a Transtelephonic monitor to be worn from several days to weeks. It is a tape recorder and when the patients feel an arrhythmia he phones a monitoring station where the record is made, or puts it on "memory" for further recording by phone. Another test is electophysiologic study. This involves a catheterization, a thin, flexible tube placed in the vein of an arm or leg and advanced to the right atrium and ventricle. This allows the doctor to find the site and type of arrhythmia and how it responds to treatment. |
| NORMAL HEART BEAT: | 60 - 80 beats per minute, average for men 72, for females 80. |
| CAUSES: | The hearts pace maker develops an abnormal rate of rhythm, The normal conduction pathway is interrupted, another part of the heart tries to take over as the pacemaker. Heart diseases, and even the slightest heart abnormalities can cause arrhythmias. |
| TREATMENT: | Drugs to control or regulate the heart beat, an implantable pace maker, if ventricular fibrillation has occurred, and implantable defibrillator, surgery to remove the scar tissue that is causing the arrhythmia, catheter-based techniques of destroying malfunctioning heart tissue, thus curing the arrhythmia. |
| SELF HELP TIPS: | People can often slow down their own heart rates, and possibly suppress supraventricular arrhythmias by controlling certain nerve impulses. This can be done by holding the breath, taking a slow drink of water, or bathing the face in cold water, or rubbing the neck may all help. If all these fail, holding the nostrils closed and trying to blow through the nose, should provide some relief. Simply coughing may stop premature ventricular contractions. Preventative measures include avoiding emotional stress, cutting down on stimulant such as caffeine, avoiding decongestants. |
| DIET AIDS:
|
It has been proven that it is
very common in patients with arrhythmias to have a deficiency in magnesium
and potassium.
There was a ten year study done with 400 high risk patients, half of whom
ate magnesium rich foods and the other half ate a regular
diet. The group eating magnesium rich foods had 28.6% complications and
the ones on regular diets has 60.3%. Sudden death was one and half time greater in those who
ate a regular diet.
Saturated fat and cholesterol are also chief culprits in disrupting regular heart beat. Polyunsaturates, especially sunflower seed oil and fish oil seem to actually promote the heart's output. Garlic and wild garlic seem to be very beneficial. |
| PATIENTS AT HIGH RISK FOR SUDDEN ARRHYTHMIA CARDIAC DEATH | High risk patients must be
identified and proper therapy given to prevent sudden death. Factors
which identify high risk are, left ventricular dysfunction,
frequent and complex arrhythmias on Holter monitor, abnormal
signal-averaged electrocardiograms, angina, ST
depression, exertional hypotension or ventricular arrhythmias
on exercise testing, inducible sustained arrhythmias at electrophysiological
testing. Mitral valve prolapse is listed as a condition known
to be associated with sudden death as is valvular heart disease.
Athletes should also be checked out due to many having comparatively large heart, which are prone to abnormal rhythms. |