![]() ![]() The heart’s electrical abnormalities may occur spontaneously or after emotional stress or exercise. Your doctor uses this form of test to help explain what is causing your palpitations, dizzy episodes or fainting attacks. Holter monitoring helps identify occurrences of abnormal electrical activity in the heart. It is done while the patient is walking or moving around, wearing a small tape recorder called a Holter monitor. Holter monitoring or ambulatory E.C.G., is a recording of the electric activity of your heart. Although this might sound like a major procedure, it is in fact a simple test which uses sound waves to take a moving picture of your heart. This is a test that your doctor may request to “see” that your heart muscle is working and how your heart valves are opening. The machine reads & records, on paper, the electrical signals from your heart. Small sticky pads are placed on your body connected to wires that link up to the ECG machine. This test measures the rhythm & electrical activity of your heart. ![]() Related topics: ICDs, Long QT Syndrome, Atrial Fibrillation, Pacemakers, CPR, Defibrillator, Heart Attack, Atherosclerosis, Blood Pressure, Cardiomyopathy, Smoking, Stress, Tests & Procedures, ECG, Ways To Live Life BetterĪrrhythmia Depending on your symptoms, your doctor may recommend certain heart tests to help diagnose the abnormal heart rhythm. To learn more about heartbeats and how your heart works, see our section How Your Heart Works. Most people have ectopic beats at some time in their lives, and most are unaware of having them. Ectopic beats happen when electrical activity arises from other cells in your heart other than the normal electrical cells (sinus node). Is another form of supraventricular arrhythmia (SVT) during which the normal regular rhythmic activity of the upper chambers or atria is replaced by chaotic irregular activity.Īre early (premature) or extra heartbeats and can feel like your heart skips or misses beats. Previously, these supraventricular tachycardia required long term drug therapy but more recently curative treatment with ablation has been developed. Other times they persist and may require drug treatment or electrical conversion in hospital. Sometimes these episodes are short-lived and terminate spontaneously. This usually causes distressing palpitations often with light-headedness, chest tightness, breathlessness and other symptoms. These are called supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) during which the heart rate can increase quite suddenly to over 200 beats per minute. Other forms of rapid heart beating are not life-threatening in the same way as ventricular tachycardia. Other non life-threatening forms and symptoms which may require drug treatment The most serious cardiac rhythm disturbance is called ventricular fibrillation when the electrical activity is so fast and chaotic that the heart cannot pump any blood.Ĭollapse and sudden death follows unless cardiac pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and further medical help is provided immediately. When rapid heart beating arises in the ventricles – called ventricular tachycardia – a life-threatening situation can arise. ![]() Some forms of rapid heart beating can be life-threatening We consider that the normal heart rate is between 60 and 100 beats per minute but there are many exceptions.Īthletic people may have heart rates less than 60 and all of us can have rates over 100 when we are exercising or under pressure etc. If it is too fast, it is called a tachyarrhythmia or tachycardia. If the heartbeat is too slow, it is called a bradyarrhythmia or bradycardia.
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