Cardiac Arrhythmias

How does electricity work in my heart? 

The body naturally produces electricity that travels over the heart muscle and stimulates the heart to contract or beat.
 
The electrical signal that tells your heart to beat comes from a small area of the right atrium of the heart. This area is located in the upper right chamber of your heart and is called the sinoatrial node, or SA node.
 
When a signal is given by the SA node, a small electrical impulse runs through your heart and stimulates the heart muscle to contract. The contraction of the heart muscle produces a heartbeat and forces blood out of your heart
to the rest of your body.
 
Certain conditions can cause the electrical system to make the heart beat too slowly, too fast, or in an uncoordinated manner. These irregular patterns are called arrhythmias and they can occur in any of the four chambers of the heart.
 

What are the common types of arrhythmia?

See the irregular pattern of electrical activity that is known as arrhythmia.

Arrhythmia

 
A slow heart rhythm with a rate below 60 beats per minute is called a bradycardia.

Bradycardia ("slow-heart arrhythmia")

 
A fast heart rate of more than 100 beats per minute is an arrhythmia called a tachycardia.

Tachycardia ("fast- heart arrhythmia")