A Patient's Guide to Heart Rhythm Problems (A Johns Hopkins Press Health Book)

Heart rhythm problems can be a matter of life or death. In this easy-to-read guide, Dr. Todd Cohen provides comprehensive information to help people with heart rhythm problems (arrhythmias) get an accurate diagnosis and appropriate treatment. Dr. Cohen tells readers what they need to know about palpitations, rapid heart rhythms (tachycardias), slow heart rhythms (bradycardias), cardiac arrest, and other conditions related to irregular heartbeats.

With the goal of informing and empowering heart patients, Dr. Cohen describes the heart's basic function, the various conditions associated with arrhythmia, and recommended courses of treatment. He discusses such procedures as tilt table testing, electrophysiology studies, catheter ablation, and device implantation (including cardiac monitors, pacemakers, defibrillators, and biventricular devices); explains the essentials of CPR and the use of Automatic External Defibrillators (AEDs); and presents the latest guidelines from the American College of Cardiology, the American Heart Association, and the Heart Rhythm Society.