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Maryland Heart Center

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UMMC's Heart and Heart Surgery Program ranked as one of the nation's 50 best by U.S. News & World Report's 2011 "Best Hospitals" survey.

Read how Maryland Heart Center cardiologists are treating ventricular tachycardia by using new imaging techniques.


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Arrhythmias

 

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Note: This is for informational purposes only. Doctors cannot provide a diagnosis or individual treatment advice via e-mail. Please consult your physician about your specific health care concerns.

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Arrhythmias are abnormal heart rhythms, which cause the heart to beat too fast (tachycardia) or too slow (bradycardia) and to pump blood less effectively.

Arrhythmias are very common, affecting millions of people worldwide. They are the main cause of sudden cardiac death in the United States, accounting for more than 400,000 deaths each year.

Arrhythmias are caused by either a disruption of the normal electrical conduction system of the heart, or heart disease.

Normally, the four chambers of the heart (two atria and two ventricles) contract in a very coordinated manner:

Problems can occur anywhere along the conduction system, causing various arrhythmias. There can also be a problem in the heart muscle itself, causing it to respond differently to the signal, or causing the ventricles to contract in an uncoordinated manner.

An arrhythmia occurs when:

Intrinsic conduction system of the heart

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