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The first step in treating an arrhythmia is prevention. This includes not smoking, not using illegal drugs or abusing prescription stimulant medications, and moderating caffeine and alcohol intake.
Once an arrhythmia develops, a treatment plan is individualized to the underlying cause, the presence of coexisting diseases, the age and general health of the patient, and other factors. Treatment generally involves a multifaceted plan that treats the arrhythmia and includes a long-term plan to address any underlying or associated diseases, disorder or conditions, such as heart disease, smoking and hyperthyroidism.
Mild arrhythmias that do not cause symptoms may not need treatment other than monitoring. For example, this may occur when a person has a rapid heart rate (tachycardia) as a side effect of a diet drug, which goes away after the drug is discontinued.
Lifestyle changes are also a part of treatment. These include quitting smoking, lowering stress and losing weight as needed.
Depending on the cause, some arrhythmias may be treated with a variety of medications, such as digitalis, beta blockers, antiarrhythmias or calcium channel blockers.
Moderate to severe arrhythmias generally require hospitalization and intensive care. Intravenous medication may be needed to correct the arrhythmia. For some types of arrhythmia, such as atrial fibrillation or third degree heart block, a pacemaker is necessary to stimulate a normal heartbeat. Other procedures that may be needed include electrically converting the arrhythmia to a normal rhythm (normal sinus rhythm) by cardioversion or defibrillation.
For immediately life-threatening arrhythmias, such as ventricular tachycardia without a pulse and ventricular fibrillation, defibrillation and life support measures, including CPR, are necessary.
Some of the possible treatments for Arrhythmia from various sources may include:
The following treatments are listed for Arrhythmias in our knowledge base:
Some of the drugs and medications used in the treatment of Arrhythmia may include:
Unlabelled alternative drug treatments for Arrhythmia may include:
The following medications/drugs/procedures are some of the latest treatments for Arrhythmia:
Review the treatment information pages for various causes of Arrhythmia:
More causes: not all possible causes for Arrhythmia are listed above; for a full list refer to causes of Arrhythmia.
Only your doctor can advise whether any of these treatments are appropriate for your specific medical situation. Always discuss all treatment options with your doctor before making a decision, including whether to start or discontinue any treatment plan.
The following list of conditions have 'Arrhythmia' or similar listed as a symptom in our database. This computer-generated list may be inaccurate or incomplete. Always seek prompt professional medical advice about the cause of any symptom.
Select from the following alphabetical view of conditions which include a symptom of Arrhythmia or choose View All.
The following list of medical conditions have 'Arrhythmia'
or similar listed as a medical complication in our database.
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Copyright © 2011 Health Grades Inc. All rights reserved. Last Update: 7 May, 2013 (3:00)
