Arrhythmia
An arrhythmia is any abnormal heartbeat. For many people, arrhythmias are harmless, but some may cause serious issues. We help you know the difference between a benign condition and one requiring treatment or monitoring.
Atrial Fibrillation
Also known as AF or AFib, atrial fibrillation is a rapid, irregular heartbeat. It is a very common heart condition that occurs when electrical impulses cause the chambers in your heart to quiver or contract quickly.
Cardiomyopathy
This disease affects the heart muscle. A person with cardiomyopathy has a heart muscle that is enlarged, thick, or rigid. As the condition worsens, the heart becomes weaker and less able to pump blood.
Congestive Heart Failure
Heart failure means your heart can’t keep up with your body’s demand for oxygen as it should, and as a result, your body can’t get all the oxygen it needs. With congestive heart failure (CHF), blood flowing away from your heart slows down, causing the blood returning to your heart to back up. This causes congestion in your tissues, which leads to swelling in your legs and ankles.
Supraventricular Tachycardia
When the electrical signals in your heart aren’t working properly, you can develop supraventricular tachycardia, a fast heartbeat that involves the upper part of your heart. Atrial fibrillation is a type of supraventricular tachycardia.
Ventricular Tachycardia
If you have ventricular tachycardia — sometimes known as V-tach — it means your heart is beating faster than normal because of faulty electrical signals in the lower part of your heart (ventricles).