
n.
An irregularity in the force or rhythm of the heartbeat.
[New Latin, from Greek arruthmiā, lack of rhythm, from arruthmos, unrhythmical : a-, without; see a-1 + rhuthmos, rhythm; see rhythm.]
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American Heritage Dictionary:
ar·rhyth·mi·a |
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Britannica Concise Encyclopedia:
arrhythmia |
For more information on arrhythmia, visit Britannica.com.
Oxford A-Z of Medicinal Drugs:
arrhythmia |
| aromatase inhibitors, aripiprazole, arachis oil | |
| arsenic trioxide, aspirin, asthma |
Oxford Dictionary of Sports Science & Medicine:
arrhythmia |
An irregular heartbeat. It may be produced by various heart diseases that affect the mechanism controlling the rhythm of the heartbeat. Sinus arrhythmia is a normal deviation in the rhythm of the heart beat, which accelerates during inspirations.
Columbia Encyclopedia:
arrhythmia |
Bradycardia, or slow heartbeat, is often present in athletes. It may, however, indicate conduction problems, especially in older people. In one type of bradycardia, called sinoatrial or atrioventricular block, or heart block, rhythm can be maintained by implanted electrodes that act as artificial pacemakers.
Tachycardia, or heartbeat faster than 100 beats per minute in the adult, can be precipitated by drugs, caffeine, anemia, shock, and emotional upset. It may also be a sign of overactivity of the thyroid gland or underlying disease. Flutters, and the even faster fibrillations, are rapid, uncoordinated contractions of the atrial or ventricular muscles that usually accompany heart disorders. Atrial fibrillation may be idiopathic, the result of rheumatic mitral valve disease (see rheumatic fever) in young people or hypertensive heart disease (see hypertension) and arteriosclerotic heart diseases (see arteriosclerosis) in older people. It may result in a rapid pulse rate and may be associated with thrombus formation in the atria and a risk of embolization to the brain (stroke) or other organs. Atrial fibrillation is often treated with digitalis and other drugs that regulate heart rhythm or heart rate. It may also be treated by catheter ablation, in which an electrode produces heat to destroy cells causing the arrhythmia. Ventricular fibrillation is a sign of the terminal stage of heart failure and is usually fatal unless defibrillation is achieved by immediate direct-current defibrillation. Some tachycardias can be managed by the implantation in the upper chest of small defibrillators that sense dangerous fibrillations and administer an electric shock to the heart to restore normal rhythm.
Saunders Veterinary Dictionary:
arrhythmia |
Variation from the normal rhythm, especially of the heartbeat. See also bradycardia, tachycardia.
Mosby's Dental Dictionary:
arrhythmia |
A variation from the normal rhythm of the heart.
Random House Word Menu:
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Rhymes:
arrhythmia |
| arrhythmogenic | |
| antiarrhythmic (medicine) | |
| nodal tachycardia (medicine) |
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![]() | American Heritage Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read more |
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| Oxford A-Z of Medicinal Drugs. Market University Press. © 2000, 2003, 2010 An A-Z of Medicinal Drugs. All rights reserved. Read more | ||
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![]() | Columbia Encyclopedia. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright © 2012, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. www.cc.columbia.edu/cu/cup/. Read more |
![]() | Saunders Veterinary Dictionary. Saunders Comprehensive Veterinary Dictionary 3rd Edition. Copyright © 2007 by D.C. Blood, V.P. Studdert and C.C. Gay, Elsevier. All rights reserved. Read more | |
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