Arrythmia Diagnosis

If you notice signs or symptoms of heart arrhythmia, make an appointment with your family doctor. When heart arrhythmia is found early, treatment may be easier and more effective. Eventually, however, you may be referred to a heart specialist such as a cardiologist and/or electrophysiologists, cardiologists or pediatric cardiologists who specialize in arrhythmias.

Medical history 
Your doctor is likely to ask you a number of questions. Being ready to answer them may reserve time to go over any points you want to spend more time on. Your doctor may ask:

• Have your symptoms been continuous, or occasional?
• How severe are your symptoms?
• What, if anything, appears to worsen your symptoms?
• What, if anything, seems to improve your symptoms?
• When did you first begin experiencing symptoms?

Medical exams
During the medical examination portion of your visit with the doctor, a variety of tests may be performed. They may include:

EKG (Electrocardiogram) - An EKG is the most common test used to diagnose arrhythmias. An EKG is a simple test that detects and records the heart's electrical activity. The test shows how fast the heart is beating whether the rhythm is steady or irregular. It also records the strength and timing of electrical signals as they pass through each part of the heart.

Holter and event monitors - A Holter monitor records the heart's electrical signals for a full 24- or 48-hour period. You wear a holter monitor during normal daily activities, which allows the monitor to record your heart for a longer time than a standard EKG.

Other Tests:

• Blood tests
• Chest x ray
• Coronary angiography
• Echocardiography
• Electrophysiology study (EPS)
• Implantable loop recorder
• Stress test
• Tilt table testing

If you think you may have a heart arrhythmia, make an appointment with your family doctor. If a heart arrhythmia is found early, your treatment may be easier and more effective. To learn more about common arrhythmia treatments used today, continue reading. The next section Treating Arrhythmia outlines the goals of arrhythmia treatment and how to treat arrhythmias here.