Blake Medical Center

What an Irregular Heartbeat Might Mean

Be still my beating heart! Hopefully, an elevated heartbeat means that you’re exercising, excited or falling in love. However, if you have an irregular heartbeat, it may be a serious medical condition. 

What Is a Regular Heartbeat?
When your heart is functioning normally, its four chambers contract and release in sequence to pump blood throughout the body. This pump is the heartbeat that you hear through a stethoscope. On an average day, your heart beats more than 100,000 times.

What Is an Irregular Heartbeat?
An irregular heartbeat or arrhythmia occurs when your heart’s pumping sequence and timing is off. The heart rate can be too fast, too slow, or just irregular. This causes your heart to pump less efficiently.

Types of Arrhythmias

• Atrial Fibrillation: Commonly known as A-fib or AF, atrial fibrillation occurs when the upper chambers of your heart vibrate or quiver, leading to an irregular heart rate and an accumulation of blood in the chambers. A-fib can lead to a stroke, but medications can work to restore a regular heartbeat.
• Bradycardia: This occurs when your heart rate is too slow – slower than 60 beats per minute. Many healthy adults have a naturally slow heart rate, but if it is too slow, it can cause serious problems, such as heart failure, high blood pressure, angina, and complications from a lack of blood to the brain. 
• Tachycardia: This occurs when your heart rate is too fast. The upper chambers of your heart are improperly signaled, begin contracting too quickly, and fail to pump an adequate amount of blood.

Arrhythmias can be treated with medications, but a pacemaker may be necessary to correct the improper signaling. Blake Medical Center’s Heart Institute has received several national distinctions in heart care, including Accreditation as a Chest Pain Center with PCI by the Society of Chest Pain Centers, AMI Certification by the Joint Commission, Top 100 Cardiovascular Hospitals by Thomson Reuters and Blue Cross Blue Shield’s Distinction in Cardiac Care. Visit us online for a virtual tour of the Heart Institute or contact us at (941) 798-2121.

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Tags: Blake Medical Center, cardiac care, cardiovascular, heart, hospitals Bradenton