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Arrhythmia
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An arrhythmia is an abnormal heart rhythm. The only rhythm that counts as normal is sinus rhythm, and it follows a fixed route.
That route begins at the sinoatrial node, a cluster of cells that generates the electrical impulse. From there the impulse passes to the atrioventricular node, where it slows down, and then runs along the bundle of His to the Purkinje fibers, the fine network that spreads the signal to the muscle. It is a set route from start to finish: stepping off it at any point throws off the rhythm, and that is the arrhythmia.
Arrhythmias are grouped by how fast the heart is beating. Bradyarrhythmias run under 60 beats per minute, and tachyarrhythmias over 100.
In brief
An arrhythmia is an abnormal heart rhythm: the only normal rhythm is sinus rhythm.
The impulse starts in the sinoatrial node, slows in the atrioventricular node, and travels down the bundle of His to the Purkinje fibers; straying from that path produces the arrhythmia.
It is a marked route from start to finish: stepping off it at any point throws off the rhythm.
They fall into bradyarrhythmias, under 60 beats per minute, and tachyarrhythmias, over 100.
Sources (1)
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, StatPearls PublishingArrhythmias, StatPearlsPublished
This page explains the topic in general terms; it does not tell anyone what treatment to follow.
Updated