Abnormal Heart Rhythm Types and Louisville CPR Classes

Problems with the heart’s electrical system can be life-threatening as it can lead to the occurrence of cardiac emergencies like a cardiac arrest or heart attack. Such a victim would require immediate treatment for survival. Most cardiac arrests occur due to an abnormal heart rhythm that goes by the name of Ventricular Fibrillation. The treatment of arrhythmia depends on the kind of abnormal heart beat.

The best way to handle cardiac emergencies in out-of-hospital cases is by going for a CPR certification Louisville program at an accredited training center such as the AHA certified CPR Louisville in Kentucky. Courses are conducted by certified instructors. Both theoretical and practical training are imparted to the students. 

There are different types of arrhythmias, some are fast, some are slow while others are irregular. 

Fast Heart Rhythms or Tachycardia:

1.      Ventricular Tachycardia- It is a dangerous type of rapid rhythm usually associated with too little blood being ejected from the ticker (poor cardiac output). It arises in the organ’s lower chambers (the ventricles).

2.      Supraventricular Tachycardia (SVT)- In this abnormal rhythm, the electrical impulse stimulating the ticker does not come from the sinus node as it should, it comes from a collection of tissue involving the atrioventricular (AV) node, and the electrical impulses are generated at a rapid rate, which may result in 280 beats per minute. Cardioversion may be recommended for severe SVT.

3.      Atrial Flutter occurs when rapidly fired signals cause the muscles in the upper chambers of the ticker (the atria) to contract quickly.

Slow Rhythms or Bradycardia:

Atrioventricular Block- It occurs when some or all of the electrical signals traveling from the organ's upper chambers (the atria) to the lower chambers (the ventricles) are impaired or fail to transmit. In medical terms it is called "heart block" or "AV block." Types of AV block include Second-degree AV Block and Complete AV Block. The recommended treatment for AV block is pacemaker implantation. 

Irregular Rhythms:

1.      Premature Atrial Contraction- an electrical impulse generated in the upper chamber of the heart “fires” early causing the organ to beat earlier than normal thus irregularly. This does not require any kind of therapy, medications can control it. 

2.      Premature Ventricular Contraction- In this case, the lower chambers (the ventricles) of the organ generate an early impulse that causes the organ to beat earlier than normal.

3.      Atrial Fibrillation- Many sites within the heart’s upper chambers (the atria) generate irregular electrical impulses to cause an irregular heartbeat. This is quite unusual in children.

Hope, this information proves to be beneficial for you. For a CPR course at CPR Louisville, you can either register online or call on 502-804-6132 for the same. All of our instructors are American Heart Association certified. Each has gone through the rigorous training that the AHA requires in order to be certified to teach classes. After they complete the actual instructor class, they are then carefully monitored while teaching their own class. This monitoring includes looking for proper AHA procedure, as well as ensuring that accurate information is being disseminated to the students.