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Complications
By Mayo Clinic staffCertain arrhythmias may increase your risk of developing conditions such as:
- Stroke. When your heart quivers, it's unable to pump blood effectively, which can cause blood to pool. This can cause blood clots to form. If a clot breaks loose, it can travel to and obstruct a brain artery, causing a stroke. This may damage a portion of your brain or lead to death. For people who have atrial fibrillation, the medications warfarin (Coumadin) or dabigatran (Pradaxa) may help prevent blood clots, which can cause a stroke.
- Heart failure. This can result if your heart is pumping ineffectively for a prolonged period due to a bradycardia or tachycardia, such as atrial fibrillation. Sometimes, controlling the rate of an arrhythmia that's causing heart failure can improve your heart's function.
References
- The heart's electrical system: Working and not. American Heart Association. http://americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=34. Accessed Dec. 1, 2010.
- Heart rhythm disorders. Heart Rhythm Society. http://www.hrsonline.org/PatientInfo/HeartRhythmDisorders/index.cfm. Accessed Dec. 1, 2010.
- Long QT syndrome. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/qt/qt_all.html. Accessed Dec. 1, 2010.
- Atrial flutter. Heart Rhythm Society. http://www.hrsonline.org/patientinfo/heartrhythmdisorders/aflutter/. Accessed Dec. 1, 2010.
- Sick sinus syndrome. Heart Rhythm Society. http://www.hrsonline.org/patientinfo/heartrhythmdisorders/sss. Accessed Dec. 1, 2010.
- Mehra R, et al. Association of nocturnal arrhythmias with sleep-disordered breathing: The Sleep Heart Health Study. American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. 2006;173:910.
- Diagnosing arrhythmias. American Heart Association. http://americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=3. Accessed Dec. 1, 2010.
- Arrhythmia medications. American Heart Association. http://americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=18. Accessed Nov. 30, 2010.
- Ablation. American Heart Association. http://americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=6. Accessed Nov. 30, 2010.
- Maze procedure. University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine. http://www.cts.usc.edu/mazeprocedure.html. Accessed Dec. 1, 2010.
- Pacemaker. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/pace/pace_all.html. Accessed Nov. 30, 2010.
- Implantable cardioverter defibrillator. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/icd/icd_all.html. Accessed Dec. 2, 2010.
- Connolly S, et al. Dabigatran versus warfarin in patients with atrial fibrillation. New England Journal of Medicine. 2009;361:1139.
- Wann LS, et al. 2011 ACCF/AHA/HRS focused update on the management of patients with atrial fibrillation (updating the 2006 guideline): A report of the American College of Cardiology Foundation/American Heart Association Task Force on Practice Guidelines. Circulation. 2010;123:104.
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