What are different types of arrhythmias?

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What are different types of arrhythmias?

There are many types of arrhythmias, which can grouped into three general categories: supraventricular (atrial) arrhythmias, ventricular arrhythmias, and bradyarrhythmias.

Atrial arrhythmias in children include:

  • Premature atrial contractions (PACs) — early beats that start in the atria
  • Supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) — a rapid, usually regular rhythm, starting from above the ventricles (SVT begins and ends suddenly)
  • AV nodal reentrant tachycardia (AVNRT) — a rapid heart rate due to more than one pathway through the AV node
  • Atrial fibrillation — a condition in which many impulses begin and spread through the atria, competing for a chance to travel through the AV node
  • Atrial flutter — an arrhythmia caused by one or more rapid circuits in the atrium
  • Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome — a condition in which an electrical signal may arrive at the ventricle too quickly due to an extra conduction pathway or a shortcut from the atria to the ventricles

Ventricular arrhythmias in children include:

  • Premature ventricular contractions (PVCs) — early extra beats beginning in the ventricles. These occur when the electrical signal starts in the ventricles, causing them to contract before receiving signals from the atria
  • Ventricular tachycardia (V-tach) — a life-threatening condition in which electrical signals start from the ventricles in a fast and irregular rate
  • Ventricular fibrillation — an irregular, disorganized firing of impulses from the ventricles

Bradyarrhythmias

  • Sinus node dysfunction — a slow heart rhythm due to an abnormal SA node
  • Heart block — a delay or complete block of the electrical impulse from the SA node to the ventricles

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