An arrhythmia affects the heart's pumping ability by either speeding up or slowing down the electrical impulses responsible for each heartbeat. Fibrillation, which can also occur spontaneously, causes a serious disruption in the rhythm and function of the heart. Though ventricular arrhythmias that progress to fibrillation can be fatal if not interrupted, most other arrhythmias are not serious and do not necessarily indicate heart disease. Things such as caffeine, medications, or stress cause some arrhythmias.
Physicians use various diagnostic tests for detecting arrhythmias .
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