Most everyone from time to time feels the heart " skip a
beat ", this is called a palpitation. These irregular beats can be due to excessive
caffeine intake, physical or emotional stress, metabolic disorders, or they can be
idiopathic in nature. Occasional palpitations do not indicate cardiac
disease.
A more serious situation exist if the occasional
skipped beat turns into a more frequent change in the heart's normal rhythm. This is
called an arrhythmia (dysrythmia). Arrhythmia's can originate from the atria or
ventricles of the myocardium. Most atrial disturbances are less problematic and cause
less harm to the myocardium. Ventricular arrhythmia's, on the other hand, can be fatal.
These are most often caused by electrolyte imbalances in the blood like hypokalemia or
hyperkalemia. Fatal rythmn disturbances may also be due to heart disease like CAD,
coronary artery disease.
Examples of atrial arrythmia's are
AF (atrial fibrillation), and PAT (premature atrial contractions). Examples of deadly
ventricular dysrhythmia's are VT (ventricular tachycardia), and VF (ventricular
fibrillation).
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