An arrhythmia is an irregular heartbeat that can cause your heart to beat too fast, too slow, or with an irregular rhythm. It’s caused by a problem with the electrical signals that control your heart’s rhythm. There are two main types of arrhythmias:

• Atrial Fibrillation (AFib): This is the most common type of arrhythmia, occurring in the upper chambers (atria) of the heart. AFib increases the risk of stroke and requires proper treatment.
• Ventricular Fibrillation (VF): This dangerous arrhythmia affects the lower chambers (ventricles) of the heart and can lead to sudden cardiac death if not treated immediately.

In this episode, KYW’s Rasa Kaye and Cardiac Electrophysiologist Raffaele Corbisiero, MD discuss both types of arrhythmias, where they occur in the heart, the symptoms they cause, treatment options, and prognosis. Dr. Corbisiero also shares advances in arrhythmia care, clinical trials, and promising new approaches for arrhythmia treatment. Treatment options for arrhythmias can include medications to control heart rate and rhythm, cardioversion therapy to reset the heart rhythm, implantable devices like pacemakers or cardioverter-defibrillators, and catheter ablation procedures.