Cardiac Arrhythmia

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The heart is one of the most important organs in an organism’s body, no matter if they are aquatic, amphibian, or a mammal. This super organ works automatically, able to pump massive amounts of oxygen rich blood through the body by means of electrical impulses and the opening and closing of valves within its many layers. It is what keeps us and every other creature on this earth alive; so it is only natural for one to fear when there might be a problem with one’s heart. A cardiac arrhythmia can happen to anyone, no matter the age, race, or gender, and as such, doctors and scientist have spent years trying to better understand the heart and the way it functions so that they can try to prevent these problems and save millions of lives.

A normal heartbeat is maintained and dependent on the proper movement of the ions sodium, calcium and potassium in and out of the different areas of the heart. This flow of ions mediates the action potential, resulting in electrical impulse that travel throughout the heart and is what you see when someone is hooked up to a heart monitor (Wilde, and Bezzina 1352–1358.) A cardiac arrhythmia, also known as cardiac dysrhythmia, is any disturbance or abnormality in the activation sequence of the myocardium, or rather, any disturbance that offsets the rhythm of the heart (Jaeger). Cardiac malfunctions are rather common in our world, some harmless and some not, with estimations showing that about 600, 000 people die per year from some form of cardiac disorder with about 50% of those people dying immediately after a cardiac episode (Jaeger.) There are many different types of cardiac arrhythmias, all of which have to do with the heart and its automatic ability to depolarize and send electrical impulses thro...

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...ying and doings experiments to enhance their knowledge of this mighty organ so that they can prevent even more deaths. For even though cardiac arrhythmias are common, not all are harmless and patients should get tested right away if they believe something it wrong; because one never knows when the heart might just stop.

Works Cited

Jaeger, Fredrick. "Cardiac Arrhythmias." Disease Management Project (2010): Web. 22 Mar 2011. http://www.clevelandclinicmeded.com/medicalpubs/diseasemanagement/cardiology/cardiac-arrhythmias/

Thompson, A, and J. Basler. "Perioperative Cardiac Arrhythmias." British Journal of Anesthesia 93.1 (2004): 86-94. Web. 23 Mar 2011.

Wilde, Arthur, and Connie Bezzina. "Genetics of Cardiac Arrhythmias." Heart 91.10 (2005): 1352–1358. Web. 24 Mar 2011.

“Arrhythmias and Sudden Cardiac Death” American Heart Association. 1995. Web. 24 Mar 2011.

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