Treating an arrhythmia that causes sudden collapse can save lives.  Treatments include medications, pacemakers and implantable defibrillators.

Of course the specific treatment recommended depends on the specific type of arrhythmia - and the unique individual who has it.  Some people find that simply eliminating caffeine or alcohol from their diet eliminates the symptoms. Others need more aggressive treatments.

Among the medicines typically prescribed are:

• Beta-blockers , calcium entry blockers, and digoxin, that is, drugs that slow down the heart rate and decrease the heart's workload
• Amiodarone, for arrhythmia, and less commonly flecainide, propafenone, procainamide, quinidine, and others
• Aspirin (also useful in preventing blood clots)
• Anticoagulant drugs to prevent blood clots
• Drugs that control high blood pressure, thyroid disease, and drugs that correct the chemical imbalances that can lead to arrhythmia.

Arrhythmias are essentially problems with the heart's electrical system, which controls the frequency and strength of the heartbeat.  A number of devices have been developed that monitor the heartbeat, detect arrhythmias, and send tiny electrical charges to the heart to restore the correct, natural rhythm.

The best-known is the pacemaker, which is surgically implanted under the skin, usually below the collarbone. Implantable pacemakers are extremely small - smaller than a matchbook - and have two parts: the generator, which monitors the heart's activity and sends the electrical charges to heart when needed, and the leads (or wires), which are usually put into the right side of the heart, and conduct the electrical charges from the generator to the heart.  The pacemaker is usually used to correct bradycardias, that is, heart rhythms that are too slow.

The opposite condition, a heart rhythm that is too fast, is called tachycardia. Tachycardia from the atrium is treated with medications, as are some tachycardias originating in the lower chambers, the ventricles.  The dangerous ventricular arrhythmias may need to be  corrected with a similar small device called an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) .  The ICD is usually implanted near the left collarbone.  It, too, monitors heart activity and delivers electrical shocks to the heart when needed.  But the ICDs shocks are stronger than a pacemaker's because it corrects conditions that need stronger charges, such as ventricular fibrillation.  Therefore, using an ICD can be uncomfortable or painful.  But that's better than dying, and the conditions ICDs correct can be fatal.

Automated external defibrillators (AEDs) are now used in emergencies to save people who have collapsed because of an arrhythmia.  For more information about AED's, see Heart Rhythm Disorder Key Point #1.

Other surgical procedures can also be used to prevent arrhythmia. 

On the other hand, the easiest way to prevent arrhythmia, and a variety of other heart problems, is to live in a "heart-healthy" way.  That means:

• Get more physical exercise
• Stop smoking
• Stop drinking alcohol heavily
• Keep your blood pressure under control
• Keep your cholesterol under control
• Eat a heart-healthy diet, which includes:
• Fruits and vegetables
• More fish, less meat
• "Good" oils, such as olive oil
• Antioxidants
• Antioxidants are nutrients and other substances that protect cells in the body from the damage caused by "oxygen free radicals" (molecules that seek to become oxidized, a process that harms body tissues and has been linked to many diseases, including stroke, heart disease, and cancer); antioxidants are found naturally in food but are also available as dietary supplements.
• Important antioxidants include:
• Vitamins A, C, E and beta-carotene (found in carrots)
• Lycopene  (found in tomatoes)
• Flavonoids  (found in ginkgo biloba, black cherries, blackberries, bilberries and blueberries)
• Quericetin  - a specialized flavonoid found in apples, onions, tea and red wine
• Coenzyme Q10 - a vitamin-like substance found in soy, whole grains, mackerel, and chicken
• Folates - foods rich in folic acid, such as:
• Green vegetables
• Strawberries, oranges, raspberries
• Tomatoes
• Nuts and seeds

And remember, everything you put in your body can have an effect on your heart rhythm.  Tell your doctor everything you are taking, nutritional, supplemental, and prescribed.