Electric shock therapy or cardioversion might also be used if a patient fails to respond to medication or if a doctor anticipates an emergency because of another existing heart condition. Sometimes, implantable devices are used to control arrhythmic conditions for the long term. People with symptomatic bradycardia usually wear implanted pacemakers, which send small electrical impulses to the heart muscle to maintain a suitable heart rate. Anyone prone to ventricular tachycardias or ventricular fibrillation might wear a cardioverter defibrillator, an implantable electrode patch that provides automatic shock therapy when needed. People subject to both tachycardia and bradycardia may be fitted with a pacemaker defibrillator, a device that can both restore normal heart rate by means of electric impulse and maintain the heart rate at a healthy, steady pace.
More invasive treatments are occasionally necessary.
High-frequency radio waves from a device inserted via a vein or artery literally zap the area of heart tissue causing abnormal heart rhythms, putting it out of commission. In some cases, open-heart surgery may be necessary to correct valve disease or bypass coronary artery disease that may cause arrhythmias. Lifestyle Heart rate rises in response to exercise, then typically resettles at a lower rate. Nonexercisers tend to have resting heart rates around 80 beats per minute, while exercisers average between 60 and 65 beats per minute. Exercise also helps get rid of excess adrenaline, a hormone that excites the heart along with the rest of the body.