The normal human heart beats 60 to 100 times every minute, or between 86,000 and 144,000 times a day. Each heartbeat requires precise coordination among the various components of the heart, and the driving force behind each beat is electrical activity carried through the nervous system. Defintion of Arrhythmias A disturbance in electrical activity means the heart won't function as smoothly as it should. Such a disturbance leads to an arrhythmia, a term that means any abnormality in the heart's normal rhythm or beat.
Arrhythmias occur in many forms and are one of the most common heart conditions.
Many are benign, and a person may live a long, productive life without requiring any treatment. But some arrhythmias pose serious, life-threatening problems that may require medication, surgery or other therapy. Some arrhythmias cause a noticeable skip, flutter or palpitation. Others occur without the slightest symptom and may be detectable only by electronic monitoring of the heart, a procedure known as electrocardiography. Arrhythmias can be divided into two broad categories.