Types of bradycardias include:. Premature heartbeats are extra beats that occur one at a time, sometimes in patterns that alternate with the normal heart beat.
The extra beats may come from the top chamber of the heart premature atrial contractions or the bottom chamber premature ventricular contractions. A premature heartbeat may feel like your heart skipped a beat. These extra beats are generally not concerning, and they seldom mean you have a more serious condition. Still, a premature beat can trigger a longer-lasting arrhythmia, especially in people with heart disease. Occasionally, very frequent premature beats that last for several years may lead to a weak heart.
Premature heartbeats may occur when resting. Sometimes premature heartbeats are caused by stress, strenuous exercise or stimulants, such as caffeine or nicotine. Heart arrhythmias may not cause any signs or symptoms. A doctor may notice the irregular heartbeat when examining you for another health reason.
If you feel like your heart is beating too fast or too slowly, or it's skipping a beat, make an appointment to see a doctor. Seek immediate medical help if you have shortness of breath, weakness, dizziness, lightheadedness, fainting or near fainting, and chest pain or discomfort. A type of arrhythmia called ventricular fibrillation can cause a dramatic drop in blood pressure. Collapse can occur within seconds and soon the person's breathing and pulse will stop.
If this occurs, follow these steps:. To understand the cause of heart arrhythmias, it may be helpful to know how the heart typically works. The heart is made of four chambers — two upper chambers atria and two lower chambers ventricles. The heart's rhythm is normally controlled by a natural pacemaker the sinus node in the right upper chamber atrium. The sinus node sends electrical signals that normally start each heartbeat. These electrical signals move across the atria, causing the heart muscles to squeeze contract and pump blood into the ventricles.
Next, the signals arrive at a cluster of cells called the AV node, where they slow down. This slight delay allows the ventricles to fill with blood.
When the electrical signals reach the ventricles, the chambers contract and pump blood to the lungs or to the rest of the body. In a healthy heart, this heart signaling process usually goes smoothly, resulting in a normal resting heart rate of 60 to beats a minute.
Complications depend on the type of arrhythmia. In general, complications of heart arrhythmias may include stroke, sudden death and heart failure.
Heart arrhythmias are associated with an increased risk of blood clots. If a clot breaks loose, it can travel from the heart to the brain, causing a stroke. Blood thinners can lower the risk of stroke related to atrial fibrillation and other arrhythmias. Your doctor will determine if a blood-thinning medication is right for you. If an arrhythmia is causing heart failure symptoms, methods to control the heart rate may improve heart function. Lifestyle changes to reduce the risk of heart disease may help prevent heart arrhythmias.
While PVCs are normally harmless, certain types of arrhythmias, like atrial fibrillation and ventricular fibrillation VFib , can lead to cardiac arrest and heart attack. VFib can paralyze the heart—making it unable to pump blood. If left untreated, VFib can lead to cardiac arrest. If you feel a persistent irregular heartbeat, your doctor can help diagnose the type of arrhythmia and monitor your heart.
They may refer you to an Electrophysiology EP lab, where they can test, diagnose and treat arrhythmias. Get emergency medical attention if you experience dizziness, fainting, shortness of breath and pain in your chest. These symptoms could be a sign of a severe arrhythmia and heart attack. Similarly, if you notice numbness on one side of your body, confusion, facial drooping and muscular weakness, these symptoms could be a sign of a stroke.
Meet Pugazhendhi Vijayaraman, MD. Wellness Articles. Palpitations are sometimes caused by a problem with the heart rhythm arrhythmia , such as:. You do not usually need to see a GP if the palpitations pass quickly and only happen occasionally.
They're unlikely to be caused by a serious problem and probably will not need treatment. If you cannot have an ECG at the GP surgery or the GP wants to arrange heart monitoring over a longer time period, you may be referred for tests at a local hospital. These symptoms could indicate a serious or potentially life-threatening heart problem that should be checked by a doctor straight away.
Page last reviewed: 24 October Next review due: 24 October Heart palpitations and ectopic beats. Heart palpitations are heartbeats that suddenly become more noticeable. Causes of heart palpitations Causes of heart palpitations include: lifestyle triggers emotions and psychological triggers medicines hormone changes heart rhythm problems heart conditions other medical conditions Lifestyle triggers Common triggers of heart palpitations include: strenuous exercise not getting enough sleep drinks containing caffeine, such as coffee, tea and energy drinks alcohol smoking illegal drugs , such as cocaine , heroin , amphetamines, ecstasy and cannabis rich or spicy foods In these cases, the palpitations should go away on their own.
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