Heart arrhythmias or heart rhythm problems occur when the
electrical impulses that coordinate the heartbeats do not work properly,
causing the ticker to either beat too fast, or too slow or irregularly.
Arrhythmias may or may not be harmless and they feel like a fluttering or
racing heart. However, some arrhythmias may cause life-threatening signs and
symptoms. Treating arrhythmia can often control or eliminate fast, slow or
irregular heartbeats. Adopting a heart-healthy lifestyle may be able to reduce
your arrhythmia risk because troublesome rhythms are often made worse or are
even caused by a weak or damaged ticker. Healthy lifestyle measures including a
regular regimen of physical exercise and healthy eating can keep your ticker in
good shape and keep cardiac emergencies at bay.
Get CPR trained to face cardiac arrest scenarios efficiently.
Even a child or an infant can be at the receiving end of this life-threatening
heart event. CPR can help maintain blood flow to the organs until an electrical
shock (defibrillation) can be given. Make sure to select a certified training
site to sign up for a CPR course such as the AHA certified CPR Kansas City.
Both theoretical and practical training are imparted to the students. Courses
are offered for both healthcare and non-healthcare providers.
Learn more about “PALS
class Kansas City”:
Pediatric
Advanced Life Support Classes- This course has been designed to
prepare healthcare providers to treat the acutely ill or injured infant or
child with the course teaching a systematic approach to the assessment of a
sick infant or child. The AHA PALS course is a combination of video, lecture
and hands-on practice and the classes are conducted by certified PALS
instructors with a critical care medical background.
Heart
Rhythm Problem Symptoms:
Signs or symptoms may or may not occur. In fact, a doctor may
find out before you that you have an arrhythmia during a routine examination.
Some noticeable symptoms may include fluttering in the chest, a racing
heartbeat (tachycardia), a slow heartbeat (bradycardia), shortness of breath,
chest pain, sweating, dizziness or lightheadedness, fainting (syncope).
Causes:
There are many things that can lead to, or cause heart rhythm
problems like a presently occurring heart attack (myocardial infarction),
scarring of heart tissue from a previous myocardial infarction, changes in the
ticker structure, high blood pressure, coronary artery disease (blocked
arteries in your ticker), overactive/underactive thyroid gland, diabetes, sleep
apnea, genetics, etc.
When to See
a Healthcare Provider?
Seek urgent medical care if you suddenly or frequently
experience any signs or symptoms of arrhythmia at a time when you wouldn’t
expect to feel them. Ventricular fibrillation (VFib) is one of the deadliest
arrhythmias which occurs when the ticker beats with rapid, erratic electrical
impulses causing pumping chambers in the heart (the ventricles) to quiver
uselessly instead of pumping blood. The blood pressure falls without an
effective heartbeat thus cutting off blood supply to vital organs.
A victim with VFib will collapse within seconds and soon
won’t be breathing or have a pulse. Follow these steps-
1. Call 911
for the emergency medical services.
2. Provide
hands-only CPR if there’s no one nearby trained in cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
Hands-only CPR means uninterrupted chest compressions at a rate of 100 to 120 a
minute until paramedics arrive. Push hard and fast in the center of the chest,
you aren’t required to do rescue breathing.
3. Begin
providing CPR if you or someone nearby knows the procedure.
4. Search for
an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) device nearby which can
deliver an electric shock that may restart heartbeats. These devices are
available in an increasing number of places, such as in airplanes, police cars
and shopping malls. The AED will tell you what to do and it’s programmed to allow
a shock only when appropriate.
Comments
Post a Comment