Your heartbeat is triggered by electrical impulses produced by the sinus node, a group of cells located within your right atrium. The electrical signal starts in your atria and works downward toward the ventricles. As it travels, it causes the individual chambers to contract, pumping blood throughout your body. This occurs between 60 and 100 times per minute.

A heart arrhythmia (HA) is a problem that either accelerates or slows your heartbeat. In many cases, they’re relatively mild and will not affect your standard of living. However, there are circumstances in which a problematic heartbeat can hamper the flow of blood to the rest of your body. If that happens, an arrhythmia can be potentially life-threatening. Below, we’ll describe a few types of arrhythmias that may require medical attention.

Atrial Fibrillation

One of the most common (and serious) forms of HA is atrial fibrillation (AF). This is a condition in… Read More…