Common cardiac arrhythmias: recognition and treatment

Cardiac arrhythmias are commonly seen in the everyday practice of medicine by the physician. Although certain arrhythmias may be suspected clinically, precise diagnosis is made by electrocardiographic recording of the abnormal rhythm. Once the arrhythmia has been recorded, the next steps are proper electrocardiographic diagnosis and selection of proper treatment. The specific mode of therapy and the speed with which it is delivered will depend not only on the type of arrhythmia, but also on the hemodynamic consequences of the rhythm abnormality on the patient's cardiovascular system. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the electrocardiographic criteria of common cardiac arrhythmias as well as current concepts regarding therapy.