VM262 - Diane Naipaul - arrhythmia

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Love chocolate? New research shows that an ounce a day can increase your good cholesterol and prevent the bad from oxidizing. Too good to be true? Maybe. Some people may experience heart palpitations after consuming chocolate.

A strong cup of coffee or a good scare can also make your heart race or skip a beat. When that happens, it's called arrhythmia.
The normal heart beats about 70 times per minute. But Jody Perdeferri's pulse once raced three times faster. Her condition brought her to Dr. Richard Page, a cardiologist who specializes in treating arrhythmia.

Inside everyone's heart is an elaborate electrical system that makes the heart beat and pump blood through the body. A few blips in the wiring is usually nothing to worry about until it short circuits to cause light headedness, shortness of breath and fatigue.

“There were a few times when I did have to go to the hospital when it got so bad,” said Jody. “But, other than that, I'd stay at home and I'd sleep 10, 12, 16 hours and by the time I'd wake up the episode would be gone.”

Her arrhythmia kept her at home for fear of fainting while driving.

“Sometimes I would feel like I would pass out, although I never did,” she said.
Finally, she was set free by a non-surgical procedure called cardiac ablation. It involves a catheter and an elaborate computer program that maps and pinpoints faulty wiring in the heart.

“By having this view of the heart, you can find the spot where the arrhythmia comes from and burn just that spot to eliminate just the heart rhythm problem,” said Page.

No longer does Jody's heart race out of control. It's back to normal, beating about 70 times per minute.
“I'm not afraid to leave the house any more, to drive,” she said. “I play flag football and softball, I go to the gym, I feel wonderful.
The most dangerous arrhythmia, of course, is cardiac arrest, when the heart goes completely haywire and suddenly stops beating.

for more information about arrhythmia:  http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=10845


Jan Minagawa
Senior News Executive
king5.com / nwcn.com
email: jminagawa@nwcn.com