This term refers to any heartbeat which differs from normal. It includes symptoms of palpitations, skipping of the heart, slowing and stopping of the pulse, blacked-out vision and syncope. It may be due to disorders in the formation and/or conduction of heart impulses. The heart rhythm may be regular or irregular, the heart rate – fast /tachycardia/, normal or slow /bradycardia/. It may appear as extrasystole, atrial flutter, fibrillation or heart block. The diversity of manifestation is complemented by arrhythmogenic syndromes – Brugada, WPW, with prolonged and shortened QT interval. In most cases, a Holter ECG is required to diagnose them.
