Bioelectric and Biomagnetic Signal Analysis
Arvind Kumar Bansal, Javed Iqbal Khan, S. Kaisar Alam in Introduction to Computational Health Informatics, 2019
Arrhythmia is a common problem in old age. The heartbeat becomes irregular in arrhythmia. Heartbeat can either slow down or speed up. Bradycardia is a subclass of arrhythmia when the rate of heartbeats slows down. Tachycardia is another subclass of arrhythmia when the heartbeat speeds up. Tachycardia is divided into two subclasses: 1) supraventricular arrhythmia caused by abnormalities in the atria and 2) ventricular arrhythmia caused by abnormalities in the ventricles. Three major problems cause irregular heartbeats: 1) abnormality in ion-channels of heart cells that disturb the depolarization cycle of the SA-node and/or heart-cells; 2) change in the origin of the electrical activity in the heart and 3) fibrillation of heart-muscles. Fibrillation causes: 1) random alignment in heart-muscles disorienting the regular electrical pattern and 2) fibrous tissues that become an alternate source of irregular electrical activities in addition to the SA-node.
History-taking model
Kaji Sritharan, Vivian A Elwell, Sachi Sivananthan in Essential OSCE Topics for Medical and Surgical Finals, 2007
Risks Bronchial spasm affecting breathing.Arrhythmias (‘abnormal heart beat’).Chest infection with fever (16% of cases).Persistent hoarseness.Shortness of breath.Surgical emphysema (‘air that crackles under the skin’).Failure of procedure.Death (rare).
Heterocyclic Drugs from Plants
Rohit Dutt, Anil K. Sharma, Raj K. Keservani, Vandana Garg in Promising Drug Molecules of Natural Origin, 2020
In arrhythmia the heartbeats or rhythms become abnormal. Arrhythmia arises mainly owing to the heart related electrical impulses. If the electrical impulses do not work properly, the heart will become unable to coordinate its beats resulting in irregular rhythms. These impulses can be too fast, too slow, or too erratic causing the heart not to pump blood systematically (About Arrhythmia, 2016). If the heart does not pump blood effectively, the organs might be damaged or completely shut down. Arrhythmias have various types, e.g., tachycardia, bradycardia, and a trial fibrillation. The average heart rate is normally between 60 to 100 beats per minute under normal physical state (All About Heart Rate (Pulse), 2015). Tachycardia refers to a heart rate which is much faster, at or faster than 100 bpm (beats per minute), than the average heart rate (Tachycardia: Fast Heart Rate, 2016). Bradycardia refers to heart rate that is slower that 60 bpm (Bradycardia: Slow Heart Rate, 2016). Atrial fibrillation, also called AFib or AF, is a heartbeat which is irregular/flutters (Atrial Fibrillation, 2016). Arrhythmia occurs if the heart’s natural pacemaker develops an abnormal rhythm or rate, the conduction pathway is disrupted, or if another part takes on the role as the pacemaker.
The validation of smartphone applications for heart rate measurement
Published in Annals of Medicine, 2018
Weenita Pipitprapat, Sarawin Harnchoowong, Poonkiat Suchonwanit, Chutintorn Sriphrapradang
Heart rhythm disorders or arrhythmias are the conditions that the heartbeat is irregular, too fast, or too slow. A heart rate (HR) above 100 beats per minute (bpm) is called tachycardia and a HR less than 60 bpm is called bradycardia. Symptoms may include palpitation, light-headedness, syncope, dyspnoea on exertion or chest pain. However, patients with these serious arrhythmias may have no symptoms at all. Some cardiac arrhythmias are hazardous to the patient and require prompt diagnosis and treatment. It can predispose a patient to serious complications such as stroke, heart failure or cardiac arrest. Moreover, episode of arrhythmias can be transient and terminated spontaneously without treatment, particularly in its early stage [1]. The 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) is essential to identify a patient with a suspected arrhythmia. Ambulatory ECG monitoring is more sensitive for detecting occult cardiac arrhythmias and may also be used to evaluate the efficacy of therapy or for prognostic purposes. However, these monitors cannot be used without a healthcare professional. Palpating pulses or listening to the heart sounds may be challenging for patients who are not trained in these medical skills. There is a need for a convenient method which could allow patients or caregivers to accurately measure HR outside of the hospital setting.
Clinical electrophysiology of the aging heart
Published in Expert Review of Cardiovascular Therapy, 2022
Kyle Murray, Muizz Wahid, Kannayiram Alagiakrishnan, Janek Senaratne
Palpitations are a heightened or uncomfortable awareness of heartbeat and are a common reason for elderly patients to present to a clinic or hospital [34]. Palpitations are divided into cardiac and noncardiac causes. Noncardiac causes are further subclassified into psychosomatic, medical illness, and pharmacologic mediated. Cardiac causes are secondary to arrhythmias (e.g. tachyarrhythmia, bradyarrhythmia, and extrasystoles) and structural heart disease (e.g. valvular disease, heart failure, and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy). In adults presenting to emergency with palpitations, 47% of cases are a cardiac cause [35]. Patients who are elderly, male, have irregular palpitations, palpitations lasting >5 minutes, and history of coronary artery disease (CAD) have a high likelihood of a cardiac cause [24].
Cardiac arrhythmias secondary to hormone therapy in trans women
Published in Expert Review of Cardiovascular Therapy, 2019
Rachel Wamboldt, Sohaib Haseeb, Ashley Waddington, Adrian Baranchuk
The exogenous administration of estrogen increases rates of AF, as seen in post-menopausal cis women taking hormone replacement therapy and in Case 2. The co-administration of progesterone seems to mitigate the risk of AF in comparison to the women receiving monotherapy of estrogen; however, this was not seen in our patient [44–46]. Progesterone could have a role in the HT of trans women to reduce the risk of cardiac arrhythmias; however, the addition of progesterone to estrogen monotherapy may increase the risk of CVD, venous thromboembolism, and stroke as per the Women’s Health Initiative [5,48]. Previous studies in post-menopausal women on HRT have suggested a ‘timing hypothesis’ in which the effects of estrogen depends largely on the cardiovascular health of the individual at baseline [11]. In a case-control study by Wierckx et al [11] the majority of transwomen who suffered from a myocardial infarction or cardiovascular disease following the initiation of hormone therapy were over the age of 50 and had one or more cardiovascular risk factors. For this reason, the management of the cardiovascular risk factors is crucial prior to the initiation of HT, especially in those over the age of 50. In Case 2, the arrhythmia may have been induced due to the cardiovascular risk factors at baseline.
Related Knowledge Centers
- Bradycardia
- Cardiac Cycle
- Chest Pain
- Heart Rate
- Lightheadedness
- Palpitations
- Shortness of Breath
- Syncope
- Tachycardia
- Signs & Symptoms
- Shortness of Breath