arrhythmia
Disturbance of the normal rhythm of the heart. There are various kinds of arrhythmia, some benign, some indicative of heart disease. In extreme cases, the heart may beat so fast as to be potentially lethal and surgery may be used to correct the condition.
Extra beats between the normal ones are called extrasystoles; abnormal slowing is known as bradycardia and speeding up is known as tachycardia.
| Arrhythmias are responsible for 250,000 sudden deaths in the USA each year. |
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