Abstract
The word arrhythmia derives from the Greek to mean loss or absence of rhythm. Essentially an arrhythmia is an irregular heartbeat and includes tachyarrhythmias and bradyarrhythmias. Abnormal electrical impulse conduction causes arrhythmias. There are several mechanisms of arrhythmia genesis, including; triggered activity, abnormal/enhanced automaticity, reentry and conduction delays. These mechanisms are discussed in more detail below with the exception of conduction delays, which are discussed in detail in Chap. 5. As many arrhythmias are caused by or sustained by ectopic foci it is necessary to gain an understanding of ectopy.
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© 2015 Springer-Verlag London
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Davies, A., Scott, A. (2015). Arrhythmias. In: Starting to Read ECGs. Springer, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-4965-1_6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-4965-1_6
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Publisher Name: Springer, London
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