Treatment for arrhythmia is only necessary if the condition is increasing the risk of more severe arrhythmia or a complication, or if the symptoms are severe.

The various arrhythmias require different treatments.

1.         Treatments for bradycardia

If bradycardia occurs due to an underlying condition, a doctor will need to treat that condition first. If they find no underlying problem, the doctor may advise implanting a pacemaker.

A pacemaker is a small device that a doctor places under the skin of the chest or abdomen to help control abnormal heart rhythms. Pacemakers use electrical pulses to prompt the heart to beat at a regular minimum rate.

Implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD)

Doctors mainly use ICDs to treat ventricular tachycardia and ventricular fibrillation, two life-threatening heart rhythms.

The ICD constantly tracks your heart rhythm. When it detects a very fast, unusual rhythm, it delivers an electric shock to the heart muscle to make it beat in a regular rhythm again. The ICD has two parts: the leads and a pulse generator. The leads are made up of wires and sensors that monitor the heart rhythm and deliver energy used for pacing or defibrillation. The generator houses the battery and a tiny computer. Energy is stored in the battery until it is needed. The computer receives information from the leads to determine how the heart is beating.

Your doctor programs the ICD to include one or all of the following functions:

• Anti-tachycardia pacing (ATP). A series of small electrical impulses to the heart muscle restores a regular rate and rhythm.

• Cardioversion. You may get a low-energy shock at the same time your heart beats to restore regular rhythm.

• Defibrillation. When your heartbeat is dangerously fast or uneven, your heart muscle gets a higher-energy shock to restore a regular rhythm.

• Anti-bradycardia pacing. Many ICDs give backup pacing to keep the heart rhythm if it slows too much.

There are different types of ICDs, including:

• Single-chamber ICD. A lead is attached to the right ventricle. If required, energy is delivered to the ventricle to restore a normal heart rhythm.

• Dual-chamber ICD. Leads are attached in the right atrium and the right ventricle. Energy can be delivered to the right atrium and then to the right ventricle, helping your heart to be paced in a normal sequence.

• Biventricular ICD. Leads are attached in the right atrium, the right ventricle, and the coronary sinus adjacent to the left ventricle. This technique helps the heart beat in a more efficient way and is specifically used for patients with heart failure.

Your doctor will determine which type of ICD is best for you. Before you have your ICD implanted, ask your doctor what medications you can take. Your doctor may ask you to stop taking certain medications before the procedure. You will receive specific instructions.

After it’s implanted, you might not notice a low-energy shock. Or it may feel like a flutter in your chest. The high-energy shock lasts just a second, but it can hurt. Some people say it feels like being hit with a baseball bat or being kicked by a horse. Most people feel it more in their back than their chest. If you feel a shock, sit or lie down because you may pass out.

Talk to your doctor about what to do if you ever get shocked. If you do get shocked, call your doctor immediately.

Catheter ablation

Think of this procedure as rewiring to fix an electrical problem in your heart.

Your doctor will insert a catheter through your leg. It delivers high-frequency electrical energy to a small area inside your heart that causes an unusual rhythm. This energy "disconnects" the pathway of the unusual rhythm.

Doctors use ablation to treat most PSVTs, atrial flutter, atrial fibrillation, and some atrial and ventricular tachycardia.

Heart surgery for arrhythmias

The maze procedure is a type of surgery to correct atrial fibrillation. Your surgeon makes a series, or "maze," of cuts in your heart's upper chambers. The goal is to keep your heart's electrical impulses only on certain pathways. Some people need a pacemaker afterward.

Your doctor might recommend other procedures, such as a coronary bypass, to treat other forms of heart disease.

2.         Treatments for tachycardia

There are several treatments for tachycardia:

Vagal maneuvers: Specific movements and exercises that a person can carry out at home might stop some types of arrhythmia that start above the lower half of the heart.

Medications: These will not cure an arrhythmia but are usually effective in reducing the number of tachycardia episodes. Some medications also promote electrical conduction through the heart.

Cardioversion: The doctor may use an electric shock or medication to reset the heart to its regular Cardioversion: The doctor may use an electric shock or medication to reset the heart to its regular rhythm.

Ablation therapy: A surgeon inserts one or more catheters into the inner heart. They place the catheters in areas of the heart that they suspect may be the source of the arrhythmia. The surgeon will then use them to destroy small sections of damaged tissue, which often corrects the arrhythmia.

Implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD): A surgeon implants this near the left collarbone. The device then monitors the heart rhythm. If it detects an unusually fast rate, it stimulates the heart to return to its normal speed.

Maze procedure: During the maze procedure, a surgeon makes a series of surgical incisions in the heart. These then heal into scars and form blocks that guide the electrical impulses, helping the heart to beat efficiently.

Ventricular aneurysm surgery: Sometimes, an aneurysm, or bulge, in a blood vessel that leads to the heart can cause arrhythmia. If other treatments are not effective, a surgeon may have to remove the aneurysm.

Coronary bypass surgery: A surgeon grafts arteries or veins from elsewhere in the body onto the coronary arteries. This helps the circulation bypass any regions that have become narrow and improves the blood supply to the heart muscle.