Arrhythmias are divided into bradycardic and tachycardic arrhythmias (HRS)
Bradycardic arrhythmias (bradycardia (pl. bradycardia): < 60 beats per minute (bpm) are:
- Bradyarrhythmia absoluta (BAA; irregular pulse, with heart rate below 60 beats per minute).
- Higher-grade, sinuatrial and atrioventricular blocks.
- Carotid sinus syndrome (carotid sinus syndrome; synonyms: hypersensitive carotid sinus syndrome (HCSS), hypersensitive carotid sinus syndrome) – hyperactive carotid sinus reflex, the cause of bradycardia to short-term asystole (complete cessation of electrical and mechanical cardiac action for more than 2 seconds; in carotid sinus syndrome: 6 seconds or a drop in blood pressure of at least 50 mmHg systolic)/acute circulatory arrest with syncopal symptoms; carotid sinus hypersensitivity can be detected in 20% of all patients over 60 years of age, but less than 1% have detectable carotid sinus syndrome
- If applicable, the sinus node syndrome in terms of bradycardia–tachycardia syndrome.
Tachycardic arrhythmias (tachycardia (pl. Tachycardias ): > 100 beats/min) are:
- Supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) – HRS originating above the ventricle/cardiac chamber (originating from the area of the AV node or from the atrium).
- Tachysystolic atrial fibrillation (VHF) and atrial flutter.
- Ventricular extrasystoles (e.g., in acute myocardial infarction (heart attack) “warning arrhythmias”).
- Ventricular tachycardia (life-threatening) ventricular flutter and fibrillation.
Arrhythmias are divided into conduction and conduction disorders, which in turn can be divided into several subgroups.
Stimulation formation disorders (excitation formation disorders) include:
- Sinus arrhythmia – irregular heartbeat that is physiologically due to respiration; may also, in rare cases, be an expression of damage to the sinus node
- Sinus bradycardia – too slow heartbeat (< 60 beats per minute).
- Sinus tachycardia – too fast heartbeat (> 100 beats per minute).
- Sick sinus syndrome (sinus node syndrome) – cardiac arrhythmia due to a disturbance of the sinus node.
- Supraventricular arrhythmia (supraventricular arrhythmia) – cardiac arrhythmias that originate in the atria; they include:
- Supraventricular tachycardia (SVT).
- Atrial flutter
- Atrial fibrillation (VHF)
- Ventricular arrhythmia (ventricular arrhythmia) – cardiac arrhythmias that originate in the heart chambers (ventricles); they include:
- Ventricular tachycardia (VT).
- Ventricular flutter
- Ventricular fibrillation
- Extrasystoles (ES; heartbeat that occurs outside the physiological heart rhythm) – supraventricular extrasystoles (SVES) or ventricular extrasystoles (VES).
Conduction disorders (conduction disorders) include:
- Sinuatrial block (SA block) – disorders arising from conduction disturbances from the sinus node to the heart wall.
- Atrioventricular block (AV block) – disorders arising from conduction disturbances from the atrium (atrium cordis) to the ventricle (ventricle).
- Intraventricular block – disorders arising from conduction disturbances in the muscle system of the heart chambers (ventricles).
- Atrioventricular re-entrant tachycardia with/without preexcitation – short-term tachycardia (accelerated pulse) due to conduction of excitation via short-circuit pathways; may be subdivided further based on the presence of preexcitation syndrome (premature excitation of the ventricle via congenital conduction structures that parallel the AV node):
- AVRT with preexcitation (Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome; WPW syndrome).
- AVRT without preexcitation
Preexitation syndromes
- Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome (WPW syndrome) – cardiac arrhythmia (HRS) caused by an electrical circular excitation (circus movement) between the atria and the ventricles.
- Lown-Ganong-Levine syndrome – HRS with characteristic ECG changes: seizure-like palpitations (paroxysmal tachycardia), a shortened conduction time (PQ time < 120 ms) with a normally configured QRS complex.
Heterotopic (= ectopic) stimulation disorders, i.e. premature stimulation outside the sinus node (primary/active arrhythmia), are distinguished into:
- Atrial arrhythmias (atrial arrhythmias).
- Sinus node extrasystoles
- Supraventricular extrasystoles (SVES); from:
- The atrial myocardium near the sinus node.
- The middle atrial sections
- The lower atrial sections
- Migrating pacemaker
- Atrial tachycardia
- Atrial flutter
- Atrial fibrillation (VHL)
- Atrioventricular arrhythmias (AV arrhythmias).
- AV rhythm
- AV extrasystoles; from:
- The upper nodal segments
- The middle node sections
- Lower node sections
- AV tachycardia
- His bundle rhythm/extrasystole
- Ventricular arrhythmias (ventricular arrhythmias).
- Ventricular extrasystoles (VES).
- Idioventricular rhythm.
- Ventricular rhythm
- Ventricular tachycardia (VT)
- Ventricular flutter
- Ventricular fibrillation