Automatic ectopic sites

I have had an arrthythmia for many years and thought I knew all the  verncaular..Now my EP says I have automatic ectopicsites in the right atrium.  Can you please explain what he means.




                                           Diane

[Cleveland Clinic, MD]

An automatic ectopic site is a technical description of the cause of an arrhythmia.  What it means is there is a group of cells or a site in your heart that is firing rapidly on its own and not in sync with the rest of the heart.  This may lead to rapid heart beats or skipped beats.  The treatment will depend on what type of arrhythmia it is causing and how significant the symptoms are.  Treatment may be doing nothing, using medications or an ablation.