Patient was educated that risk factors for cardiac arrhythmias include any conditions that can lead to excessive and/or abnormal stimulation of heart. These conditions are as follows:
- Smoking
- Nicotine stimulates the heart leading to increased heartrate.
- Elevated blood pressure and heart disease
- Patients with uncontrolled elevated blood pressure and previous episodes of myocardial infarction can present with damaged heart muscle.
- This damaged heart muscle resists normal conduction of cardiac impulse, resulting in arrhythmias.
- Also, scar tissue formed during healing of the damaged cardiac tissue can inhibit normal conduction of impulse and result in abnormal route of conduction of cardiac impulse, thus resulting in arrhythmias.
- Serum potassium levels
- Potassium in the blood is maintained in a close range. Both high and low potassium levels are significant risk factors for rhythm disturbances in the heart.
- Apart from the above-mentioned risk factors, excessive alcohol intake, excessive intake of caffeinated drinks, restlessness and insomnia also increasingly stimulate the heart and can result in arrhythmias.
