Treatment of arrhythmias
Arrhythmias: treatment in Germany and Israel
Arrhythmia means a violation of the normal rhythm of the heart. Today, arrhythmias are one of the topical problems of cardiology.
The peculiarities of the clinical picture and, sometimes, imperfect diagnostic techniques do not allow to indicate the exact figures of the prevalence of arrhythmias among the population. However, according to the data of specialized medical institutions, arrhythmias affect about one third of adults living in large cities of Ukraine. Despite the fact that the main category of patients suffering from arrhythmias remains elderly and senile people, rhythm disorders are often found among young people as well.
Questions: Can I drive a car? Can I go to the gym? Should I limit my workload at work, etc.? These questions become the cornerstone questions for young people with arrhythmias.
What is the danger of arrhythmia?
According to the observations of experts, in some cases arrhythmia is not dangerous to the patient's health. Sometimes, a person is not even aware of interruptions in the work of his own heart, and arrhythmia becomes an incidental finding during a medical examination. However, certain types of arrhythmias have a negative impact on the general condition, eventually lead to heart dysfunction, and are fraught with such severe and sometimes fatal complications as sudden death, thrombosis, embolism, cerebral circulatory failure.
What types of arrhythmias are there?
At the heart of the formation of arrhythmias is the violation of such functions of the heart as:
- Automatism
- Excitability
- Conduction
Depending on the mechanisms of arrhythmia formation, the following rhythm disorders are distinguished:
- Tachycardia - rapid rhythm, more than 100 beats per minute
- Bradycardia - slow rhythm, less than 60 beats per minute.
All arrhythmias are divided into supraventricular (supraventricular) and ventricular.
Distinguished:
- Extrasytolia
- Paroxysmal tachycardia
- Flutter (atria, ventricles)
- Fibrillation (fibrillation) (atria, ventricles)
- Conduction disturbances (blockages of varying degrees).
Causes of arrhythmias
Cardiac causes of arrhythmias:
- Heart diseases of infectious and inflammatory nature (mycarditis)
- Abnormal development of the heart and valve apparatus
- Cardiomyopathies
- Ischemic heart disease
- Myocardial infarction and its consequences (scarring).
Non-cardiac causes (somatic and psychiatric disorders)
- Chronic diseases and intoxications (renal failure, diabetes mellitus, smoking, alcohol abuse)
- Electrolyte disorders
- Side effects of certain medications or herbs
- Stress and mental disorders (hysteria, depression)
- Abuse of stimulants (drinking coffee, strong tea, etc.).
Factors that provoke the development of arrhythmias are overexertion, excessive physical activity, hypothermia. It is worth mentioning genetically determined types of arrhythmias, the propensity to develop which is transmitted from generation to generation.
Symptoms of arrhythmia
Typical symptoms of arrhythmias are:
- Feeling of a heartbeat (“freezing”, “cardiac arrest”)
- Rapid or slow heartbeat
- Shortness of breath, dizziness
- Loss of consciousness (fainting) or a state close to it.
Diagnosis of arrhythmias
If an arrhythmia is suspected, the following methods of investigation are performed on the patient:
- Electrocardiography (ECG)
- Holter monitoring (daily ECG monitoring)
- Echocardiography (ultrasound of the heart).
For detailed examination and thinning of the topics of arrhythmias, such studies as:
- Electrophysiologic study (EPI) transesophageal and endocardial
- Tests with physical load and ECG monitoring.
How is arrhythmia treated?
Currently, there are two main options for the treatment of arrhythmias: medical and non-medical.
The first option, as a rule, at the start of treatment, consists in the selection of appropriate drugs.
Currently, the following groups of antiarrhythmic drugs are used:
- I Fast sodium channel blockers (subclasses A, B, C)
- II Beta-blockers
- III Drugs slowing down repolarization processes
- IV Calcium channel blockers.
NB! Taking into account the mechanism of action of drugs, points of application of their action, as well as the risk of side effects, the selection of antiarrhythmic drugs is carried out only by a doctor!
The correction of patient's lifestyle, treatment of background diseases (cardiovascular system and somatic), smoking cessation, diet with exclusion of extractive substances, spices and spicy dishes, as well as regular dosed physical activity are of great importance in arrhythmia management.
Non-medication therapy consists of catheter-based destruction (destruction) of the area of myocardial tissue generating the abnormal rhythm. A modern interventional method of arrhythmia therapy is radiofrequency ablation (RFA).
Performing RFA procedure in specialized clinics in Israel and Germany is a guarantee of success in the treatment of arrhythmias.
