Overview

An arrhythmia is an abnormal heartbeat. Patients with arrhythmias may have a heartbeat that is faster or slower than normal. Complex heart rhythm disorders are one of the many cardiac conditions diagnosed and treated by the expert team at Trinity Health Of New England.

The heart is the main pump that keeps blood flowing through the body. The electrical system keeps the heart chambers pumping in a coordinated manner and, along with the valves, keeps blood flowing in the right direction. When these electrical impulses are not functioning properly, abnormal heartbeats create a disturbance in heart contractions. This leads to inefficient pumping of blood to the body. Although there are several different arrhythmias, they may be classified in four main categories:

• Bradycardia (slow heart rate)
• Tachycardia (fast heart rate)
• Supraventricular arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat in the upper chamber of the heart or atria)
• Atrial fibrillation
• Atrial flutter
• Ventricular arrhythmia (fast heart rate in the lower chamber of the heart or ventricle)

The heart beats approximately 100,000 times a day. Each heartbeat is started by an electrical signal which comes from a group of cells called the sinoatrial node (SA node). The SA node is found in the right atrium (a top chamber of the heart) and acts as the heart’s natural pacemaker. The signal that comes from the SA node is transmitted across the atria (top chambers of the heart) and is received by another group of cells called the atrioventricular node (AV node). This is an important group of cells which acts as a connector between the atria and the ventricles (bottom chambers of the heart).

The multidisciplinary team of leading cardiac electrophysiologists (heart rhythm doctors), advanced practice providers, registered nurses, technical staff, imaging experts and other healthcare professionals provide an integrated approach to the diagnosis and treatment of a variety of heart rhythm disturbances and their associated underlying conditions.