Arrhythmia Treatment: 3 Ways To Manage An Irregular Heartbeat

The heart is one of the most essential parts of the body, and there can be severe consequences if it deviates from normal function for even a short time.

Arrhythmias are conditions that cause the heart to beat abnormally, they are estimated to affect between one and two percent of the population. Still, the risk only increases as you age. It's not unreasonable to have arrhythmia on your radar, especially for those with pre-existing heart conditions.

What treatments are available for arrhythmia? 

Several treatments are available for different types of arrhythmia, all the way from lifestyle changes to surgeries. The treatment depends on the condition and what your doctor thinks is best for you. Some arrhythmias are benign and do not require any treatment. As always, medications should be used only with the recommendation of a doctor, as incorrect use of certain medications can only aggravate your situation and pose a danger to yourself. 

Lifestyle changes for arrhythmia

One of the easiest ways to manage some kinds of arrhythmia is to make changes to your lifestyle. Not only are lifestyle changes entirely natural, becoming healthier never hurts and improves your life even if you don't have an arrhythmia. Making a lifestyle change can be intimidating, however. If it's hard to quit bad habits "cold turkey," you can make changes to your life gradually. Even small changes can reduce your risk of certain heart conditions and complications. 

Eating better

You can do several different things to make your life more heart-healthy. The first, unsurprisingly, is to improve the foods you eat. Some of the food-types that weaken the heart are:

• Sodium, such as pre-seasoned frozen food
• Saturated fats, such as butter and cheese
• Trans fats, such as microwave popcorn
• Added sugars, such as soda and cake

Some foods that improve heart health are:

• Vegetables and Fruits, particularly green ones like broccoli
• Whole grains, such as brown rice
• Low-fat dairy, like milk
• Particular protein-rich foods, such as lean meat and eggs

Improving your weight and increasing physical activity

Of course, food isn't the only lifestyle change that makes you healthier. Improving your weight — if you need to — not only helps your heart, but also reduces risk factors such as blood pressure.

A person is considered overweight when their body mass index (BMI) is above 25, and you can estimate your BMI by using online calculators. However, even if you're not overweight, it's good to get frequent physical activity (at least 2 hours and 30 minutes of moderate exercise per week). Making sure you don't sit for long periods can improve your overall health, as well. Physical activity strengthens your heart and lungs in general, which reduces your risk of cardiovascular complications. 

Quitting smoking and drinking

Smoking and drinking not only hurt your lungs and liver, but also your heart. Smoking can raise the risk of heart complications like heart attacks and aggravate heart condition risk factors. Heavy drinking increases your risk of suffering from an arrhythmia, as well as mortality from arrhythmias and blood pressure. If you're having trouble reducing how much you smoke or drink, it's a good idea to try asking your doctor for help. It may also be worth looking into finding a support group.

Medications to treat arrhythmia

Here are a few examples: 

• Adenosine can be used to inhibit electrical signals, which is what causes the heart to beat. It is used to slow the heart when an arrhythmia is causing it to beat too quickly.
• Beta-blockers are used to treat high blood pressure by causing the heart to beat less forcefully.
• Blood thinners are used to prevent some of the severe symptoms of arrhythmia, like stroke.
• Calcium channel blockers are similar to beta-blockers. Calcium causes the heart to beat harder, so calcium blockers relax it, which slows down the heart and lowers blood pressure.
• Digitalis is used to strengthen the heart but also slow it down, and helps treat a heartbeat that is too fast.
• Isoproterenol is used to stimulate specific receptors, which increase heart rate and blood pressure. It is used for treating a slow heartbeat.

These medications can have dangerous side effects if misused or combined with specific other medications. If you have an arrhythmia, make sure to inform your doctor of all the medicine that you are taking so the doctor can prescribe what is best for you. 

Surgeries and procedures to manage arrhythmias

Implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs)

ICDs are used to correct your heartbeat if it becomes too fast or too slow. By sending electrical shocks to your heart when the ICD senses a heartbeat that is too irregular, it can help prevent symptoms or even save your life. ICDs take a small surgery to be implanted into the chest; it only takes a few hours, and recovery is done at home.

Pacemakers

A pacemaker is a similar device that also sends electrical signals to the heart to correct its beats. It can perform a number of different functions. These include speeding your heart rate up, controlling abnormal heart rhythms, coordinating electrical signals between different parts of the heart, and preventing dangerous arrhythmia side effects. Unlike an ICD, the surgery will require the patient to stay at the hospital overnight. The patient can resume regular activity after only a few days.

Cardioversion​

It's easy to think of cardioversion as a one-time version of an ICD or pacemaker. If the heart is beating abnormally and presents a significant risk to the patient, but only needs to be corrected once, a doctor may give the patient cardioversion. During the procedure, the doctor injects anesthesia to put the patient under. Then a device monitors the patient's heart before sending several electric shocks into the heart to restore it to normal function. This only takes a few minutes. After the medical staff monitors the patient for a few hours, it's expected that they go home on the same day.

Catheter ablation

Catheter ablation is when a doctor scars parts of the heart to prevent electrical signals from traveling through that specific area. Although it sounds rather grim, like parts of the heart are being destroyed, in actuality, it just places small lines where electrical signals normally pass. This means electrical signals can no longer pass through that area. A doctor will give you anesthesia before passing a catheter through a blood vessel so that it can access the heart and scar the needed areas.

Generally, the procedure requires the patient to stay overnight. This procedure is only used when medicine can't control the arrhythmia, or it presents a significant risk to the patient. 

If any of these procedures cause side effects such as bleeding or chest pain, make sure to consult it with your doctor. It's always best to catch potential issues early rather than late.