arrhythmia

American  

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

noun

Pathology.

• arrhythmias
  plural

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

Derived Forms

• arrhythmic
  adjective
• arrhythmical
  adjective
• arrhythmically
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• arrhythmias
  plural

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

See Examples For:

arrhythmia arrhythmias

Caffeine also blocks a substance that can cause atrial fibrillation, an arrhythmia that can lead to strokes.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026

And in 1987, a heart arrhythmia caused Soviet cosmonaut Aleksandr Laveykin to leave the Mir space station early.

From BBC ● Jan. 14, 2026

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

From Science Daily ● Nov. 17, 2025

Her immediate cause of death was listed as cardiac arrhythmia, a disorder in which, according to the Mayo Clinic, the electrical impulses in the heart malfunction and cause an abnormal heartbeat.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2024

I don’t know what an arrhythmia is, and I can’t bring myself to ask.

From "I Can Make This Promise" by Christine Day

He is an internationally recognized expert in heart-rhythm disorders, has helped develop innovative therapies for cardiac arrhythmias, and has authored over 450 scientific publications and trained hundreds of cardiology fellows.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 3, 2026

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 ● Nov. 5, 2025

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

From Science Daily ● Oct. 13, 2025

In addition to the migraines, Chesson developed heart arrhythmias and severe sensitivity to lights, sound and everyday chemicals that have kept her largely housebound.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2025

The irregular tones heard over the brachial artery in cases of irregular heart action have been called "tonal arrhythmias."

From Arteriosclerosis and Hypertension: with Chapters on Blood Pressure, 3rd Edition. by Louis Marshall Warfield