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Cardiac Arrhythmias

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Geriatric Diseases

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Abstract

Cardiac arrhythmias are a large concern among the elderly with increasing prevalence. Atrial premature contractions increase with age and were seen in up to 95% of older healthy volunteers at rest and during exercise in the absence of detectable cardiac disease. About 40% of the people who die from cardiovascular disease suffer from arrhythmias. Atrial fibrillation is common in the elderly, and the incidence and prevalence increase with age, with a prevalence of 8% in people 80 years and over. Drug therapy has a key role in the treatment of arrhythmias especially in long-term therapy. There are an array of procedures and devices for non-pharmacological treatment of arrhythmias. In elderly patients with AF, there is an increased risk of heart failure and embolic events which have a negative effect on the QoL and mental function. The present review will highlight the improvement that has occurred in clinical care.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The University of Sydney, Westmead Clinical School, Westmead, NSW, Australia

    Nages Nagaratnam & Kujan Nagaratnam

  2. Rehabilitation and Aged Care Service, Blacktown-Mt Druitt Hospital, Mount Druitt, NSW, Australia

    Gary Cheuk

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Nagaratnam, N., Nagaratnam, K., Cheuk, G. (2018). Cardiac Arrhythmias. In: Geriatric Diseases. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-33434-9_2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-33434-9_2

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