Table of contents:
- Can heart arrhythmias be cured?
- How to treat and prevent recurrence of heart arrhythmias
- Be aware of the risk of complications from heart arrhythmias
- Follow-up care for people with cardiac arrhythmias who have recovered
Arrhythmia is a common type of heart disease (cardiovascular). This condition is characterized by a heart rate that is faster or slower than the normal heart rate. In fact, it can also be characterized by an irregular heartbeat. So, can people who experience heart arrhythmias recover? Come on, find out the answer below.
Can heart arrhythmias be cured?
The function of the heart organ is to pump blood so that it can continue to circulate to all cells, tissues and organs in the body. The blood that is flowed contains oxygen and nutrients. You can feel the work of the heart in pumping this blood through the heartbeat in the left chest.
Normally, a healthy person has a heart rate ranging from 60-100 beats per minute. You can check this heart rate through your wrist and neck. If you feel your heart is working faster, slower, or irregularly than usual, this could be a sign that you have an arrhythmia.
Apart from an abnormal heart rate, arrhythmias can also cause shortness of breath, headaches, body fatigue and sweating, sometimes causing a feeling of wanting to faint. However, the question that often arises is, can someone who has a heart arrhythmia recover?
Actually, someone recovering from a rhythm disturbance in the heart actually depends on the cause and severity of the condition.
Reporting from the Mayo Clinic website, arrhythmias can be caused by an unhealthy lifestyle, such as smoking, drinking too much alcohol or coffee, or using certain drugs or supplements.
How to treat and prevent recurrence of heart arrhythmias
When viewed from the causes of an unhealthy lifestyle, you can treat arrhythmias and prevent their recurrence in the future. This starts with quitting the habit of smoking. The reason is, cigarette chemicals are the cause of heart disease, which can also trigger changes in normal heart rate.
In addition, the consumption of alcoholic drinks and coffee must also be limited. The caffeine content in coffee, which if consumed in excess can cause side effects, namely the heart beats faster. Meanwhile, alcohol can interfere with the heart's electrical activity, causing arrhythmias.
If the cause of the arrhythmia is a drug, it is necessary to change the drug that triggers a change in heart rate and be more careful in choosing over-the-counter drugs for colds or allergies. Consult your doctor so that the method of dealing with the arrhythmia you choose is more appropriate.
So, can heart arrhythmias caused by other factors be cured? Based on the explanation of the University of Iowa, atrial fibrillation can be cured by the MAZE surgical procedure. Atrial fibrillation is the most common type of arrhythmia, characterized by a heart rate of more than 400 beats per minute.
MAZE itself is done by creating a scar tissue (labyrinth) pattern in the upper chambers of the heart with the help of hot and cold energy. The success rate of this treatment is around 70 to 95 percent. In order not to return to attack, some people need to take medication to control the heart rhythm to remain normal.
Be aware of the risk of complications from heart arrhythmias
Although the question of "whether cardiac arrhythmias will heal" has been resolved, researchers are still making further observations. One of them is research conducted by the University of Birmingham in 2018.
From this study, researchers concluded that arrhythmia patients have a high risk of developing a stroke, so they need to undergo further treatment. Even though their heart rhythm has returned to normal. The high risk of stroke is because they are prone to developing blood clots.
If a patient who has recovered has a heart rhythm disturbance, the doctor will usually recommend further treatment, namely catheter ablation. Catheter ablation or atrial fibrillation ablation aims to prevent abnormal electrical signals from entering the heart, so that arrhythmias do not occur.
This procedure is performed by inserting a catheter into a blood vessel connected to the heart. Then, hot or cold energy is sent.
Follow-up care for people with cardiac arrhythmias who have recovered
Do people with cardiac arrhythmias who recover need treatment? Yes, this is very necessary to prevent the arrhythmia from recurring. Such treatment includes regular heart health checks and blood pressure checks and taking prescribed medications.
Additionally, people who have had arrhythmias should avoid triggers and adopt a healthier lifestyle. The following are things that people who have experienced heart rate problems should do and avoid at the same time.
- Eat heart-healthy foods, such as vegetables, fruit, nuts, and lean meats.
- Stay physically active and maintain an ideal body weight.
- Stop smoking and you should also avoid coffee or alcohol.
- Understand how to deal with stress that you are experiencing.
- Always be careful in using certain drugs.
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