Treatment for arrhythmia? Both medication and lifestyle changes are necessary

Lifestyle changes are recommended in the treatment of arrhythmias . When it is necessary to change the negative risk factors. In some cases and for some types of tachyarrhythmias, vagal maneuvers may be tried .

However, vagal maneuvers are physical maneuvers that are recommended for younger and stable people. Of course, the recommendation is for educated people to avoid complications. They belong here:

• carotid knot massage
• Valsalva maneuver
• pressure on the eyeballs

In most cases, treatment is not definitive if irregular heartbeat cannot be completely eliminated. The most common form is conservative treatment. With the help of pharmacological preparations, i.e. drugs, the arrhythmia is adjusted towards normal.

Treatment is chosen depending on the type of arrhythmia. There are differences in treatment according to the ECG recorded and its evaluation. This is whether it is a slower or faster heart rhythm and also other factors that are evaluated on the ECG.

If pharmacological treatment does not work well enough,  electrical cardioversion is used. This method uses an electric discharge, which has a high voltage but a low intensity. Electrical cardioversion is applied when the patient is silenced or put to sleep.

Electrical defibrillation or even transthoracic pacing is another option. Electrical defibrillation is performed externally and with the help of large-area electrodes. External defibrillation is used by physicians and healthcare professionals to detect ventricular tachycardia or fibrillation.

However, in the event of a threat to life in public, even lay people use the AED. If the cause of unconsciousness and respiratory arrest is a malignant heart rhythm disorder, it is an important aid for human survival. See the section on first aid and CPR for more information.

Invasive electrical cardiac defibrillation means that a cardioverter-defibrillator is surgically inserted into the body . When the work of the heart is endangered, it sends an impulse that returns the heart rhythm to normal values.

A pacemaker or pacemaker known to the public is a device that is implanted temporarily but mostly permanently. There are also temporary external pacemakers. These pacemakers work on different methods. For example, for continuous pacing or only if the heart rate falls below a set value.

Another form, however, not applicable to every patient, is radiofrequency catheter ablation. The goal is to disable the site from which the arrhythmia arises. This procedure is performed through the venous system. The principle is that the cause and location of the arrhythmia are found.  

The catheter is heated instead of the so-called burns and then loses the ability to generate or conduct an electrical impulse. At the same time, the pathological lesion is removed, most often by cryogenic route, ie by sudden local freezing.