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When the heart beats too fast, it cannot pump effectively. The rate needs to be slowed down to normal so that the heart may function at its best. Fast rhythms can originate from several areas within the heart. Depending on the rate of the heartbeat, they can be life-threatening. Sometimes a heart rate can be slowed with medications or with a little shock to the heart.
If it is persistent, another treatment option is called ablation. With ablation, an area of the heart muscle is intentionally damaged so that the electrical conduction is slowed in that area. During this procedure a catheter is guided up the femoral artery to the area of the heart that is producing the fast rhythm. At the tip of the catheter an electrode emits an energy pulse that burns and destroys some of the cells responsible for signaling the heart to beat too fast. This procedure is done in the cardiac catheterization lab and does not require general anesthesia. Catheter ablation has a low risk of side effects and a very high success rate of eliminating fast rhythms, though there is a small chance that fast rhythms can re-occur. In this case, the procedure can be repeated.
Links
National Heart Lung and Blood Institute
Heart Rhythm Society
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