arrhythmia

American  

[uh-rith-mee-uh, ey-rith-] / əˈrɪð mi ə, eɪˈrɪð- /

noun

Pathology.

1. any disturbance in the rhythm of the heartbeat.

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arrhythmia British  

/ əˈrɪðmɪə /

noun

1. any variation from the normal rhythm in the heartbeat

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arrhythmia Scientific  

/ ə-rĭth′mē-ə /

1. An abnormal rhythm of the heart, often detectable on an electrocardiogram. Electrical impulses in the heart normally originate in the sinoatrial node of the right atrium during diastole and are transmitted through the atrioventricular node to the ventricles, causing the muscle contraction that usually occurs during systole. However, abnormalities of electrical conduction during diastole or systole can result in various alterations of the heartbeat, such as changes in heart rate, skipped or irregular beats, and fibrillation of the heart muscle, which can be life threatening. These electrical disturbances can be caused by metabolic abnormalities, inadequate blood supply (as in coronary artery disease), drug effects, chronic disease, and other factors. Arrhythmias are sometimes treated with the implantation of a pacemaker.

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Other Word Forms

• arrhythmic adjective
• arrhythmical adjective
• arrhythmically adverb

Etymology

Origin of arrhythmia

1885–90; < New Latin < Greek arrhythmía. See a- ⁶, rhythm, -ia

Compare meaning

How does arrhythmia compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• arrhythmia vs. dysrhythmia

Example Sentences

Exposure to this element can lead to serious heart and nervous system issues, including arrhythmias and paralysis.

From Science Daily

Lang beguiled with common chords that no longer sounded common, with standard rhythms that intertwined, went on and off the beat, creating arrhythmia delight.

From Los Angeles Times

The paper is titled "A combined genomic arrhythmia propensity score delineates cumulative risk."

From Science Daily

The anticoagulant drugs and cardiac ablation procedures for treating atrial fibrillation aren’t without complication, so large studies are trying to determine if the additional arrhythmias found by devices like Zio are truly stroke threats.

From Barron's

Most arrhythmias occur within 48 hours after MI and coincide with massive immune cell infiltration into the heart tissue.

From Science Daily