Cardiac arrhythmia facts for kids

Different forms of cardiac arrhythmia shown in an Electrocardiogram

Cardiac arrhythmia (commonly called irregular heartbeat) is the name for a number of conditions, where the heartbeat is not normal. It may be too fast (tachycardia); too slow (bradycardia); or the heart may not beat in its regular rhythm.

Images for kids

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  Broad classification of arrhythmias according to region of heart required to sustain the rhythm

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  Normal sinus rhythm, with solid black arrows pointing to normal P waves representative of normal sinus node function, followed by a pause in sinus node activity (resulting in a transient loss of heartbeats). Note that the P wave that disrupts the pause (indicated by the dashed arrow) does not look like the previous (normal) P waves – this last P wave is arising from a different part of the atrium, representing an escape rhythm.

See also

In Spanish: Trastornos del ritmo cardíaco para niños