Heart Arrhythmia Treatment

What is Arrhythmia?
Heart arrhythmia, also called cardiac arrhythmia, is the medical term for an abnormal heart rhythm. Normally, the heart pumps in a steady rhythm, only speeding up or slowing down to accommodate the body’s demands at exercise or rest. A person with arrhythmia has a heart that beats too quickly or too slowly and in an irregular pattern.

There are several types of arrhythmias and many conditions that can cause them. Some of these conditions include coronary artery disease, diabetes mellitus, obesity, excessive alcohol or caffeine intake, a history of heart attack (“myocardial infarction”) and obstructive sleep apnea.

Symptoms include:
• Skipping beats
• Lightheadedness, dizziness, fainting
• Chest pain
• Shortness of breath
• Sweating
• Palpitations (pounding heart beats)
• Fatigue and weakness
• Anxiety
Some forms of arrhythmia don’t produce symptoms. Certain forms of arrhythmia are generally harmless, but others can be dangerous. You should discuss any symptoms with your doctor.

Types of Arrythmia
Arrhythmias are defined by both the heart rate and the heart’s chamber from which the irregular rhythm originates. For example, a too-fast heart rate, called tachycardia, that originates in the lower chamber of the heart, called the ventricle, is ventricular tachycardia. Some types of arrhythmia include the following. To see a word’s definition, point and hold your mouse over the word.

Your Treatment for Arrhythmias at Baptist Cardiovascular Center
At Baptist, physicians who specialize in the treatment of heart rhythm abnormalities, called cardiac electrophysiologists, treat patients with arrhythmias. These physicians use a number of state-of-the art diagnostic tests to determine the type and severity of your arrhythmia and the recommended treatment options.
Get to know electrophysiologists on staff at Baptist. Watch their video profiles:
:: J. Michael Bensler, MD
:: B. Judson Colley, III, M.D., M.P.H.
:: Jimmy W. Lott, MD

EP Studies at Baptist
To fine tune your diagnosis, your physician may perform an electrophysiology (EP) study in Baptist’s state-of-the-art EP Lab. This procedure may require an overnight stay. An EP study can be performed using catheter-based techniques that involve placement of small mapping catheters into the heart in a manner similar to a diagnostic coronary angiogram of the heart. During the study, your physician will use sophisticated equipment that maps the electrical system of the heart to pinpoint where the problem is.
Physicians who perform EP Studies at Baptist include Drs. Bensler, Colley and Lott.

Recommended Treatment
Depending on what your physician discovers as a result of this or any diagnostic tests you may receive, your treatment will range from medications, to a procedure in our EP Lab, to surgery. Baptist offers all the following treatment options:

• Medical Management
There are a number of drugs, such as anti-arrhythmic medications, used to treat patients with arrhythmias. These medications can sometimes suppress abnormal heart rhythms from occurring, but they occasionally are ineffective or cause unwanted side effects that require their discontinuation. Other medications, such as Coumadin, are given to reduce the risk of complications that may arise from arrhythmias. For example, untreated atrial fibrillation may cause blood clots to form in the heart. These clots may travel to the brain and cause a stroke. Treatment with Coumadin does not cause the atrial fibrillation to go away, but it does reduce the risk of blood clots forming.

• Ablation
During this treatment, a physician can precisely ablate and destroy abnormal areas of heart tissue where faulty electrical signals originate. Ablation has proven to provide long-term relief to patients with many types of arrhythmias. For some patients, this treatment can be done in Baptist’s Cath Lab. For others, surgery is recommended. Surgeons at Baptist also perform the "Mini Maze," a minimally invasive ablation procedure for the treatment of lone atrial fibrillation.

Additionally, Baptist's Cath Lab has acquired the Arctic Front® Cardiac CryoAblation Catheter system, the first and only cryoballoon in the United States indicated to treat drug refractory recurrent symptomatic paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (PAF). Unlike traditional ablation treatments that use radiofrequency, or heat, to destroy faulty electrical circuits in the heart, the Arctic Front ablates cardiac tissue through the use of a coolant delivered through a catheter. The advantages of cryoablation over radiofrequency ablation include a lower risk of stroke post-procedure, and the ability to treat areas of low blood flow, where radiofrequency ablation cannot be used.

:: Physicians who perform ablations in the Cath Lab are Drs. Bensler, Colley and Lott.
:: William H. Harris, MD, performs the “Mini Maze” procedure. Watch his video profile.

• Pacemakers and Defibrillators
For some patients, the heart’s rhythm can be best maintained by implanting a device that provides a reliable electrical signal to keep the heart pumping in the correct sequence. Baptist provides several state-of-the-art devices.

Implantable cardioverter defibrilator (ICD)
ICDs are stop-watch-sized devices implanted under the skin near the collarbone and connected to the heart with insulated leads. An ICD is used to treat abnormally fast and life-threatening arrhythmias, or irregular heart beats. It defibrillates—stuns—the heart, breaking the fast cycle of beats and allowing the heart to "reset." This returns the heart to a normal rhythm. Used preventively in people with heart failure and poor heart pumping function, these devices have been clinically proven to reduce the incidence of sudden cardiac death.
Bi-ventricular pacing
These pacemakers, designed to treat heart failure, pace both left and right sides of the heart, as opposed to standard pacemakers that pace only one side of the heart. Bi-ventricular pacing, also called cardiac resynchronization therapy, allows the left ventricle to pump blood more efficiently. Certain types of these pacemakers may also monitor fluid accumulation in the thoracic cavity. Fluid accumulation of this type may signal worsening symptoms in heart failure patients. Early detection of fluid accumulation can assist in management of heart failure.
Bi-V/ICD or combination devices
These devices have capabilities of both the bi-ventricular pacemakers and ICDs. They pace the heart and can provide defibrillation as well.

:: Drs. Bensler, Colley and Lott treat patients with these devices.

Cardiac Rehab
After you have begun treatment, your physician may recommend that you participate in Baptist’s Cardiac Rehab program. This is an outpatient program that combines supervised exercise with heart-specific education. Cardiac rehab can help patients feel better and reduce their risk for future heart problems
:: Learn how the program works

Get help for arrhythmias at Baptist
If you would like to become a patient at Baptist, the first step is seeing one of our physicians. You can request a referral by using the following link, or by calling the Baptist Health Line at 601-948-6262 or 1-800-948-6262. Health Line hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. CST.
:: Request a referral to a physician at Baptist.

If you still have questions about arrhythmias and how they are treated at Baptist, please call our Health Line. Nurses and other professionals there can help you decide your next steps. Call 601-948-6262 or 1-800-948-6262.

About Baptist Cardiovascular Services
Baptist has earned several prestigious certifications, accreditations and awards for our care of patients with cardiovascular conditions. Additionally, Baptist is the only hospital in Jackson enrolled in the PROTECT-AF trial, a test of the “Watchman” left atrial appendage (LAA) closure device against warfarin for the prevention of stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation.
:: See our full list of certifications, accreditations and awards.

Preventing Heart Disease and Stroke
If you have a family history of heart disease and/or stroke, you may be interested in our low cost screening programs. These screenings are available year round and provide results you can have sent to your personal physician.
:: Learn more about our heart and stroke screening programs.