If your heart races or you often feel lightheaded and short of breath, you may have an underlying arrhythmia. At Perloff Cardiovascular Care in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, experienced cardiologist David Perloff, MD, PA, offers comprehensive diagnostic testing in-office to identify the cause of arrhythmias. Dr. Perloff also offers personalized treatment plans that might include medications, a pacemaker, or surgery. To schedule a diagnostic evaluation for arrhythmias, call Perloff Cardiovascular Care or book a consultation online today.
Arrhythmias describe irregular heartbeats that develop when your heart’s electrical impulses aren’t working properly.
In a healthy heart, the atria (upper chambers) and the ventricles (lower chambers) work together to pump blood throughout your body. The sinus node, a natural pacemaker, produces impulses that stimulate atria muscles to contract. When something interferes with the signals, you can develop an arrhythmia.
Two types of arrhythmias are tachycardia, a rapid heartbeat, and bradycardia, a heartbeat that’s slower than normal.
Common causes of arrhythmias include:
You might also experience symptoms of an arrhythmia during a heart attack.
You can have an arrhythmia without experiencing any symptoms. In some cases, a physician is the first to detect the issue during a routine physical exam or a diagnostic evaluation for other symptoms.
If you have an arrhythmia that causes symptoms, it may cause:
Some people may notice their heart is pounding, even when they’re at rest. While occasional changes in your heart’s beating pattern are common, it’s important that you schedule a diagnostic evaluation at Perloff Cardiovascular Care if your symptoms persist or get worse.
Perloff Cardiovascular Care offers several on-site tests, including echocardiograms, electrocardiograms, and stress tests, to pinpoint the cause of your arrhythmia. These noninvasive tests provide important information about your heart’s function.
Dr. Perloff may also recommend a Holter monitor, a device that records your heart’s activity during your regular activities over the course of several days.
Once he understands your condition, Dr. Perloff customizes a treatment plan to regulate your heartbeat.
If you have tachycardia, you might benefit from medications or a catheter ablation to slow your heart rate. Ablation is a procedure that uses radiofrequency energy to damage small areas of heart tissue to block dysfunctional electrical impulses.
If you have bradycardia, you may need a pacemaker to speed up your heart rate. A pacemaker is an implantable device that detects an abnormal heartbeat and sends mild electrical impulses to regulate your heart’s rhythm. Pacemakers can also be useful in managing tachycardia.
In situations where you have an arrhythmia as the result of coronary artery disease, you may need bypass surgery to improve blood flow to your heart.
If you have symptoms of an arrhythmia, call Perloff Cardiovascular Care or book a consultation online today.
