Heart arrhythmia

Heart arrhythmia risk factors

Heart arrhythmias occur when the electrical signals that regulate your heartbeat don't work properly. They can speed up or slow down your heartbeat's rhythm at irregular levels. You may be at a heightened risk of developing an arrhythmia if you have a chronic health condition or underlying heart disease, like AFib — the most common type of heart arrhythmia.

There can be additional contributing factors as well, such as:

• Aging
• Binge drinking
• Family history
• High blood pressure

Heart arrhythmia symptoms

Some irregular heartbeats can be caused by stress or too much caffeine and are usually harmless. However, others might be a symptom of heart disease and can even become life-threatening.

Common symptoms of heart arrhythmia conditions can include:

• A fast or slow heartbeat
• A fluttering in your chest
• Anxiety
• Chest pain
• Dizziness or lightheadedness
• Fainting or nearly fainting
• Fatigue
• Shortness of breath
• Sweating

AFib ablation treatments

Our heart rhythm specialists often use ablation to correct AFib specifically. Ablation is a type of procedure where the heart tissue that’s triggering the abnormal heartbeat is intentionally scarred or destroyed. There are several variations of cardiac ablation procedures we perform, including:

• AV node ablation — This approach uses a catheter to send energy to the pathway connecting your upper (atria) and lower (ventricles) chambers, destroying a small amount of damaged heart tissue. Thereafter, we permanently implant a pacemaker to help regulate your heartbeat.
• Catheter ablation — If medicine hasn’t been effective, this procedure is performed to destroy a small area of heart tissue using radiofrequency. A catheter is inserted into a blood vessel and guided into your heart, where we then send an electrical impulse to locate your abnormality.
• Convergent ablation — A collaborative effort between our electrophysiologists and cardiac surgeons, this treatment involves creating small scars on the backside of the heart and performing electrical-anatomic mapping to halt your irregular rhythms.
• Maze ablation — Maze, a technique also used during traditional heart surgery, is a pattern of scar tissue in the atrium intentionally created by our surgeons to disrupt any stray electrical signals.
• Pulmonary vein isolation ablation — Performed to stop an irregular heartbeat where the pulmonary veins connect, this procedure uses a catheter and radiofrequency to create scar tissue so erratic signals stay clear of the upper heart.
• SVT ablation —During this procedure, we use a catheter to access your heart’s upper chambers. Electrical energy or cryoablation, an extremely cold liquid, is used to damage the target area, creating scar tissue and restoring a normal heart rhythm.
• Ventricular tachycardia ablation — This type of ablation treats the ventricles, the heart's lower chambers, which cause the heart to beat too fast. Like SVT ablation, we use catheters to access the affected part of your heart and then ablate to damage the area, causing your irregularity.

AFib implant procedures

If you have nonvalvular AFib, this innovative, minimally invasive procedure is intended to reduce your risk of stroke. It works to eliminate the need for blood thinner medications like warfarin.

During the AFib implant procedure, a small incision is made in your groin area, and a catheter is inserted into your vein. We then implant a device in the left side of your heart through the catheter. This is designed to permanently seal off the left atrial appendage (LAA) and prevent blood clots from forming.

Implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD)

An ICD is an electronic device that resets your heart's rhythm. It is designed to monitor and regulate potentially fast or life-threatening irregular heartbeats, helping prevent sudden cardiac arrest (SCA).

Lead extraction

A lead is a tiny yet essential wire that transmits energy between your cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIEDs) and your heart. It is designed to keep your pacemakers and ICDs working properly. Our experienced teams can perform a lead extraction procedure to safely release and remove your lead if it's become damaged or infected. We may also use this procedure to extract your lead if there's a blockage in your vein. We often achieve this using advanced lasers or rotating dilators.

Pacemaker insertion

A pacemaker is designed to regulate your heartbeat and prevent it from slowing to a dangerous rate. It can help treat a blockage or heart condition, such as bradycardia and tachy-brady syndrome.