Synonyms in the broadest sense
- Cardiac arrhythmias
- Arrhythmia
- Tachycardia
- Bradycardia
- Atrial fibrillation
- Atrial flutter
- Extrasystoles
- Sick Sinus Syndrome
- AV Block
- Supraventricular dysrhythmia
- Ventricular dysrhythmia
Definition
A cardiac dysrhythmia (also called arrhythmia, “unrhythmic”) is a disturbance of the normal heartbeat sequence, caused by abnormal processes in the formation and conduction of excitation in the heart muscle. Cardiac arrhythmia can be life-threatening and can occur as a result of heart disease or other conditions. However, they also occur in organically healthy people and can have no disease value whatsoever.
Anatomy
Cardiac arrhythmia is a change in the “normal” heart rhythm. In order to understand how the different types of cardiac dysrhythmia differ and how they develop, it is helpful to take a look at the basic anatomy and physiology of the heart. The human heart consists of four components: the right and left atrium and the left and right ventricle.
The right and left halves of the heart are separated by the cardiac septum. The oxygen-depleted blood of the circulatory system reaches the right atrium via the large vena cava (inferior and superior vena cava). If the right atrium contracts, the blood is forced into the right ventricle.
The contraction of the right atrium is followed in time by the contraction of the right chamber, which pumps the blood into the lungs. The blood, now enriched with oxygen, flows from the lungs into the left atrium, then into the left chamber and from there into the aorta. In the heart, the blood can only flow in one direction, which is ensured by the heart valves. There are four heart valves, two so-called sail valves, which are located between the atrium and the ventricle, and two so-called pocket valves, which are located between the heart chambers and the large outflowing vessels, i.e. the pulmonary arteries and the aorta.
