Module 10 Pull Down Navigation - Select a Page to View ------------------- Introduction What are Heart Rhythm Problems? Symptoms of Heart Rhythm Problems Types of Heart Rhythm Problems Irregular Heart Rhythms Fast Heart Rhythms Slow Heart Rhythms Diagnosing Heart Rhythm Problems Treating Heart Rhythm Problems Medicines Procedures Other Heart Failure Devices Things that may Aggravate Heart Rhythm Problems What Family and Friends Should Know Questions to Ask Your Doctor or Nurse Learn More About Heart Failure

Irregular Heart Rhythms

Here are two common reasons that an irregular heart rhythm may occur in people with heart failure:

• Extra heart beats cause the heart to beat earlier than normal. These extra heart beats are referred to as Premature Atrial Complexes (PACs) or Premature Ventricular Complexes (PVCs) depending on whether they start in the upper (atria) or lower (ventricles) chambers of the heart.
  
  
• An irregular heart rhythm can also be caused by conditions called sinus pause, sinus arrest, or sick sinus syndrome. In these conditions the sinus node, which generates signals causing the heart to beat, does not start the beats regularly or starts them too slowly. Sick sinus syndrome can be common in the elderly.