How to alleviate arrhythmia

Written by Wang Li Bing

Intensive Care Medicine Department

Updated on September 05, 2024

00:00

00:00

Arrhythmia is very common in clinical settings, and its treatment mainly includes etiological treatment and symptomatic treatment. If a patient experiences occasional premature beats without significant hemodynamic effects, special treatment may not be necessary at this time. However, if a patient repeatedly experiences supraventricular tachycardia, atrial fibrillation, and other arrhythmias, cardiac electrophysiological examination and dynamic heart rate monitoring should be conducted. Antiarrhythmic drugs or even radiofrequency ablation may be administered for symptomatic treatment, as uncontrolled arrhythmias can easily lead to sudden death in patients.

Other Voices

home-news-image

Written by Liu Yong

Cardiology

52sec

home-news-image

Is arrhythmia very harmful?

Firstly, arrhythmias, whether supraventricular or ventricular, are harmful to the human body. However, ventricular arrhythmias tend to be more damaging. Supraventricular arrhythmias, including supraventricular tachycardia and atrial tachycardia, generally have a minimal impact on hemodynamics. However, they may still cause symptoms in patients such as palpitations, chest tightness, or even fatigue, a series of discomforting symptoms, but generally do not pose a life-threatening risk. However, ventricular arrhythmias are different, as they can cause disturbances in the body's hemodynamics, leading to ischemia and failure of various organs. Therefore, the harm they cause is significant, and they may even lead to sudden cardiac death. Hence, aggressive treatment and management of ventricular arrhythmias are necessary.

home-news-image

Written by Xie Zhi Hong

Cardiology

1min 20sec

home-news-image

Is atrial fibrillation a serious arrhythmia?

Atrial fibrillation is a type of cardiac arrhythmia, primarily feared for its potential to form blood clots within the heart. These clots can travel to other organs via the bloodstream, most commonly to the brain. Additionally, pieces of these clots can also travel to coronary arteries causing myocardial infarction, leading to organ embolism wherever they lodge. Generally, if no blood clots are formed, many individuals with atrial fibrillation may not experience symptoms. However, if combined with other cardiac conditions such as heart failure or coronary artery disease, atrial fibrillation can exacerbate the risk of developing these heart diseases. Thus, atrial fibrillation on its own is not severe but becomes concerning when associated with other cardiac conditions, increasing the risk of other heart diseases. If atrial fibrillation occurs with left or right accessory pathways, it may also lead to ventricular fibrillation, resulting in sudden death of the patient. Moreover, if the atrial fibrillation has no apparent cause, and the heart structure is normal with no symptoms, then such isolated atrial fibrillation does not typically form blood clots and is considered relatively mild.

home-news-image

Written by Wei Shi Liang

Intensive Care Unit

53sec

home-news-image

Can arrhythmia be cured?

Arrhythmias come in many types, most of which are curable. Once arrhythmia occurs clinically, an electrocardiogram should be performed as soon as possible to determine the type of arrhythmia. Common arrhythmias can be classified into tachyarrhythmias and bradyarrhythmias, and based on the location of occurrence, into supraventricular arrhythmias and ventricular arrhythmias. Clinically common are supraventricular arrhythmias, such as sinus tachycardia, junctional tachycardia, along with atrial tachycardia, atrial fibrillation, and atrial flutter. These generally do not affect the stability of hemodynamics and are relatively easy to treat. On the other hand, ventricular arrhythmias such as ventricular fibrillation, ventricular tachycardia, and sinus arrest are clinically challenging to cure and require aggressive resuscitation.

home-news-image

Written by Chen Ya

Geriatrics

1min 10sec

home-news-image

What department should one go to for arrhythmia?

Arrhythmia is an important group of diseases among cardiovascular diseases. It can occur on its own or in conjunction with other cardiovascular diseases, thus it mainly requires consulting a department of cardiology. However, due to other causes such as electrolyte or endocrine disorders, anesthesia, hypothermia, thoracic or cardiac surgery, drug effects, and central nervous system diseases, the assistance of endocrinologists and neurologists is needed for diagnosis and treatment. Sometimes, the arrhythmia might be caused by endocrine disorders, such as thyroid diseases or hypoglycemic symptoms in diabetes, necessitating a consultation with the department of endocrinology. If symptoms like transient blindness, fainting, dizziness, or convulsions occur, it is essential to consider brain-related diseases, such as epilepsy or transient insufficient brain blood supply, and consult the department of neurology to make a differential diagnosis.

home-news-image

Written by Chen Ya

Geriatrics

1min 49sec

home-news-image

Can people with arrhythmia eat ginseng?

Arrhythmia falls under the categories of palpitations and throbbing in traditional Chinese medicine. The common differential diagnoses are as follows: For Blood Stasis Obstruction type, the treatment focuses on activating blood circulation and resolving stasis, and regulating qi to unblock the collaterals. For Blood Deficiency type, the treatment is to nourish qi and calm the spirit, and to nourish the heart and supplement blood. For Yang Deficiency type, the treatment aims to warm and supplement heart yang, and calm the spirit and stabilize the will. For Heart Deficiency and Timid Gallbladder type, the treatment is to nourish the heart and calm the spirit, and to stabilize fright and fix the will. For Yin Deficiency and Exuberant Fire type, the treatment focuses on nourishing the heart and calming the spirit, and nourishing yin to clear the fire. For Water Dampness Overwhelming the Heart type, the treatment aims to invigorate heart yang and transform qi to promote water movement. For Qi and Blood Deficiency type, the treatment is to supplement both qi and blood simultaneously. Ginseng's main therapeutic effect is to greatly supplement the primal qi, secure and stop prolapse, generate fluids, and calm the spirit. Therefore, ginseng can be used when arrhythmia differentiation indicates qi deficiency, but it is recommended to use it under the guidance of a traditional Chinese medicine practitioner.