In some cases, an abnormal heart rhythm, or arrhythmia, is harmless and does not require any special treatment. However, sometimes an abnormal heart rhythm can be dangerous or the cause of an underlying heart condition. If your doctor determines your arrhythmia requires treatment, there are a variety of options.
Medications
Medications are often prescribed to control arrhythmias, particularly when they are caused by heart disease or when the patient has the potential to develop heart disease. In addition to reducing the amount and severity of the arrhythmia, they can also help slow the progression of heart disease and the narrowing of arteries. Some drugs commonly prescribed for treating arrhythmias include:
Antiarrhythmics. Antiarrhythmic drugs are used to regulate the heartbeat by controlling the impulses that cause the heart to flutter or beat erratically. In some cases, a doctor will prescribe a blood thinner to prevent clots from forming.
Calcium channel blockers. Calcium channel blockers prevent the build-up of calcium in the heart’s tissues. In addition to treating atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) and high blood pressure, calcium channel blockers also control some abnormal heart rhythms.
Beta blockers. Beta blockers are used to slow the heart beat, helpful in treating a form of arrhythmia known as trachycardia, where the heart beats too quickly.
Anticoagulants. This type of drug is a blood thinner that prevents the formation of blood clots in the vessels and prevents current clots from growing larger. These are commonly used in conjunction with other forms of arrhythmic or heart medications, as blood clots cause heart attacks.
Defibrillation
Another way of treating abnormal heart rhythms is through the use of defibrillation. An external defibrillator is a device used to shock the heart back into a normal rhythm. Defibrillation is generally used in emergency situations, such as during surgery if the heart begins contracting abnormally or when a person goes into cardiac arrest.
Ablation
Ablation is a non-surgical procedure used to successfully treat over 90% of rapid heartbeats. Using a live x-ray video as a guide, the doctor guides a catheter with an electrode at the end to the site where the arrhythmias are originating. From there, the electrodes emit impulses that kill a small area of cells that are causing the arrhythmia. Because it is a painless, successful method with little side effects, it is often a technique of choice for treating abnormal heartbeats.
Implantable Devices
Sometimes, an arrhythmia that is recurrent and life-threatening needs to be treated regularly. This is most often accomplished through an implantable cardioverter defibrillator, or an ICD. An implantable cardioverter defibrillator works just like a defibrillator, only it works automatically by giving the heart an electric shock each time the rhythm of the heart is disturbed. Leads inside the defibrillator are used to sense when the heart is experiencing an irregular rhythm and then administers the shock, if necessary, to restore it.
In the past, implantable cardioverter defibrillators were only installed via open heart surgery. Now, smaller devices eliminate the need for surgery. Instead, the ICD can be inserted through the blood vessels.
While an implantable cardioverter defibrillator is very effective in preventing sudden death from heart failure, in regards to treating arrhythmia, it is only used as a last-resort effort in cases of life-threatening abnormal heart beats.
There are a number of different ways to treat abnormal heart rhythms that are successful, and each depends on the severity and frequency of the patient’s arrhythmia.