Arrhythmias are much more common than we imagine. Although we have all noticed harmless “flutters” of the heart, it is important to know that some arrhythmias can be life-threatening.
When should you consult a doctor?
When you notice a “strange” heartbeat (palpitations), dizziness or loss of consciousness, chest pain or shortness of breath. There are people with arrhythmias who have no symptoms and are discovered by chance when taking a pulse or blood pressure. In addition to the electrocardiogram (which is the key piece), a comprehensive evaluation is important in order to establish its severity and prognosis.
How are arrhythmias treated?
The objective in the treatment of arrhythmias is to restore normal sinus rhythm, improve quality of life and prolong it. Sometimes they do not require treatment, although it is always advisable to optimize lifestyle, stop smoking, exercise and reduce alcohol intake. In other cases, we will use medication, electric shocks or radiofrequency ablation by means of internal catheters. For many arrhythmias, this treatment is the ideal treatment, because it is curative. It is a simple procedure, which is performed under local anesthesia and involves less than 24 hours of hospitalization. A few days later, the patient is back to normal life. When the heart beats very slowly, we implant pacemakers.
What is the most common arrhythmia?
Atrial fibrillation, which affects more than one million Spaniards (over 40 years of age, 4.4% have atrial fibrillation). The negative consequences of atrial fibrillation are varied, from favoring embolisms to reducing the performance of the heart. The most frequent is usually the deterioration in quality of life, which in some patients can be very noticeable. However, not all atrial fibrillations are the same. We call it paroxysmal when it begins and ends spontaneously. When it persists, we call it persistent or perma¬nent (if it is going to last a lifetime). In our country, the treatment of atrial fibrillation is probably too conservative. We continue to use 20-year-old drugs with few new developments and radiofrequency ablation is little recommended, although it has shown very good results when performed by experienced teams with high quality technical means. The ideal candidates are persons under 70 years of age, with a normal heart and repeated and symptomatic episodes of atrial fibrillation despite treatment. In these patients, ablation can achieve excellent clinical results.