Cardiac dysrhythmiaThat fleeting sensation in the chest; your heart skipping a beat or even feeling short of breath; they could all be signs of falling in love, or in the medical field, they could be signs of cardiac arrhythmia (or arrhythmia). The human heart is like the electrical center of the body. When any electrical hub is disturbed, a slight bump can cause the lights to flicker or, in the worst case, the lights to go out; permanently. The same can be said of the human heart. Irregularities in the heart, whether it beats too fast (tachycardia) or beats too slowly (bradycardia); they may not all be life-threatening conditions, but some can lead to cardiac arrest: a normal heartbeat at a rate of 60 to 100 beats per minute. Cardiac arrhythmia occurs when there is a disturbance in the normal rhythm of the heart. Atrial fibrillation and atrial flutter are two of the most common types of cardiac arrhythmia. “These atrial arrhythmias can interfere with the heart's ability to properly pump blood from the upper chambers (atria). The atria may not always empty completely, and blood that remains there for too long may stagnate and potentially clot. Such clots can travel to other parts of the body, where they can cause blockages in the blood supply to the limbs, brain, or heart. (“Cardiac Arrhythmias.” Cardiac Arrhythmias. Np, nd Web. December 11, 2013, retrieved from http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/) The American Heart Association reports that 383,000 cardiac arrests treated in out-of-hospital emergencies occur in the United States United. Numerous factors can cause cardiac arrhythmia; smoking, excessive alcohol use, drugs (for example, cocaine or amphetamines), some prescription or over-the-counter drugs, or even too much caffeine or nicotine. Emo…middle of the card…take it all” for a lot of different disorders that lead to cardiac arrhythmia. I honestly had no idea there were so many “levels” of this disease and I'm happy I was able to educate myself further .Heart problems and hypertension are a huge problem in my family and when you know more, do more to help prevent this problem from becoming something more serious than it should be. Resources have not been that difficult to find once I understood that there were several names and types of heart problems that fell under this one topic. "Cardiac Arrhythmias." " - NHLBI, NIH. Np, July 01, 2011. Web. December 12, 2013. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/"Understand Your Arrhythmia Risk." Understand Your Arrhythmia Risk. Np, May 30, 2012. Web. 12 December 2013 http://www.heart.org