{TEXTBOOK} Skipping a Beat Pdf Free Download
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
SKIPPING A BEAT PDF, EPUB, EBOOK Sarah Pekkanen | 327 pages | 01 Jun 2011 | Washington Square Press | 9781451609820 | English | New York, NY, United Kingdom Skipping a Beat—the Surprise of Heart Palpitations | TrustCare If you have been evaluated by a doctor and it is determined you have occasional heart palpitations that are not connected to serious heart disease, you may not need to seek treatment every time you feel a flutter. No matter what the cause, it is important to see your doctor or even visit an emergency room if you find you are experiencing dizziness or shortness of breath along with heart palpitations. If you faint or feel severe chest pain, get to a hospital or call immediately. The symptoms of heart palpitations can be alarming, especially if you have not experienced them before. People commonly mistake symptoms for other heart problems, and may even believe they are having a heart attack. Common symptoms of heart palpitations are feelings that the heart is pounding, flip-flopping, fluttering, or throbbing. These feelings can center in the chest, or can sometimes be felt up into the head and neck. Concerns mount as symptoms combine with heart palpitations. If you experience shortness of breath, severe pain in the chest, dizziness, or fainting, you should get medical treatment immediately. Many different medical conditions and lifestyle factors are identified as potential causes of heart palpitations. Some of these causes, like consumption of tobacco or alcohol, can be avoided or controlled relatively easily. For some people, even dietary choices can help eliminate heart palpitations, as carb-heavy meals, monosodium glutamate MSG , or even sodium can sometimes be a trigger for palpitations. The use of illegal drugs, such as amphetamines or cocaine, is often associated with heart arrhythmia, which is one of many reasons these drugs prevent serious risks to your health. It is also possible drugs you are prescribed to treat other medical conditions can affect your heart. Other factors can be harder to change. Pregnancy is a known cause of heart flutters, and various kinds of heart conditions can also result in your heart skipping a beat. People who suffer from chronic anxiety or PTSD can experience panic attacks that sometimes include irregular heart beats or palpitations. There are many different kinds of abnormal heart rhythms, and some of them are clearly identified by a malfunction in a specific part of the heart. Atrial fibrillation, for example, is a rapid and irregular heartbeat caused by abnormal electrical activity in the upper chambers of the heart. Premature ventricular contraction, on the other hand, affects the lower portion of the heart, and can sometimes cause occasional irregular contractions of the lower portion of your heart. These can be worrisome, especially if they become prolonged as they can be a precursor to a lethal condition known as ventricular fibrillation. Prior damage to your heart from heart disease or the buildup to heart failure can also cause heart palpitations, which is why it is important to get checked out by your doctor if you begin experiencing heart palpitations. Coronary artery disease, prior heart attacks, heart valve issues, or some heart muscle problems are all potential sources of heart palpitations. As your heart tissue becomes damaged, your regular heartbeat can become interrupted in a sign of coming danger that should be taken seriously. Sometimes the warning signs of an oncoming heart attack can be hard to spot, which is why it is important to be regularly screened for potential heart health problems, especially if your medical history suggests you may be at risk for heart disease. Any heart condition requires careful and extensive medical evaluation. Your doctor will want to know as many details as possible about what you are feeling. This will include questions about how often you feel the palpitations and how long they have been going on. Your doctor will also ask questions about whether you feel lightheaded during these episodes, if you are typically doing the same activities when they occur or if you feel out of breath. You will almost certainly have a physical exam and blood tests done. Your doctor will likely order an electrocardiogram or EKG to evaluate the electrical signals that control your heart. The resulting heart contraction does not produce blood flow to the body. A pause is felt, and the following heart beat is more forceful than usual. If the PAC or PVC is less premature, and the heart has had time to fill with blood before receiving the early signal to squeeze, an extra beat will be felt rather than a skipped beat. Premature beats are common in healthy people of all ages. If the symptoms caused by premature beats are bothersome, they can be treated with medications or catheter ablation. Heart skips a beat: 7 causes of heart palpitations They can also feel like the heart skips a beat. Some people feel palpitations as a pounding in the chest or neck; others feel them as a general sense of unease. Palpitations can appear out of the blue and disappear just as suddenly. They can be linked with certain activities, events, or emotions. Some people notice their heart skipping a beat when they are drifting off to sleep; others, when they stand up after bending over. Palpitations can be triggered by:. People with certain medical conditions, such as heart disease, anemia, and an overactive thyroid gland hyperthyroidism are more likely to experience palpitations. Palpitations can be related to drugs and medications such as cocaine, amphetamines, diet pills, some cough and cold remedies, some antibiotics, thyroid hormone, digoxin, or asthma remedies. Trouble from above. Some palpitations stem from premature contractions of the heart's upper chambers atria. When the atria contract a fraction of a second earlier than they should, they rest an instant longer afterward to get back to their usual rhythm. This feels like a skipped beat and is often followed by a noticeably forceful contraction as the lower chambers ventricles clear out the extra blood they accumulated during the pause. These premature beats are almost always benign, meaning they aren't life-threatening or the sign of a heart attack in the making. Two other heart rhythm disturbances that can cause palpitations from above are atrial fibrillation and supraventricular tachycardia. Atrial fibrillation is an irregular and often rapid heartbeat caused by chaotic electrical activity in the heart's upper chambers. Supraventricular tachycardia is a faster-than-normal heart rate tachycardia means fast heart rate that begins above the heart's lower chambers. Both of these may cause palpitations that may be brief or prolonged. Both should be evaluated by your physician. Trouble from below. Early contractions of the ventricles can also cause palpitations. A solo premature ventricular contraction, or even a couple in a row, isn't usually a problem unless it's accompanied by fainting, shortness of breath, or other symptoms. A long run of premature ventricular contractions one after the other, though, is worrisome. They can degenerate into the deadly cardiac chaos known as ventricular fibrillation. Other sources. Problems with the heart's timekeeper, called the pacemaker or sinus node, can cause palpitations. So can a breakdown in the coordination between the upper and lower chambers. Scar tissue in the heart from a heart attack or other injury and valve problems such as mitral valve prolapse can also lead to palpitations. Palpitations tend to come and go. Unfortunately, they are usually gone by the time you get to the doctor's office. That makes pinning them down a joint effort. One of the most helpful pieces of information is your story of how your heart palpitations feel, how often they strike, and when. Premature ventricular contraction, on the other hand, affects the lower portion of the heart, and can sometimes cause occasional irregular contractions of the lower portion of your heart. These can be worrisome, especially if they become prolonged as they can be a precursor to a lethal condition known as ventricular fibrillation. Prior damage to your heart from heart disease or the buildup to heart failure can also cause heart palpitations, which is why it is important to get checked out by your doctor if you begin experiencing heart palpitations. Coronary artery disease, prior heart attacks, heart valve issues, or some heart muscle problems are all potential sources of heart palpitations. As your heart tissue becomes damaged, your regular heartbeat can become interrupted in a sign of coming danger that should be taken seriously. Sometimes the warning signs of an oncoming heart attack can be hard to spot, which is why it is important to be regularly screened for potential heart health problems, especially if your medical history suggests you may be at risk for heart disease. Any heart condition requires careful and extensive medical evaluation. Your doctor will want to know as many details as possible about what you are feeling. This will include questions about how often you feel the palpitations and how long they have been going on. Your doctor will also ask questions about whether you feel lightheaded during these episodes, if you are typically doing the same activities when they occur or if you feel out of breath. You will almost certainly have a physical exam and blood tests done. Your doctor will likely order an electrocardiogram or EKG to evaluate the electrical signals that control your heart. This is just one of many tests that can help show what is going on inside your heart, but it can be a quick way to identify some common irregular heart beats. Even your regular doctor or healthcare provider will sometimes want the opinion of a specialist who deals with heart health.