Ectopic beats may or may not be associated with symptoms and equally palpitations may or may not be associated with ectopic beats. Hence, ectopic beats are a series of extra beats and they are a diagnosis and not a symptom, whereas palpitations are a patient’s description of their symptoms. They can occur in the top chambers (atria) or the bottom chambers (ventricles), and we are able to detect where in the heart they come from using an ECG (electrocardiogram). These cells can occur in places other than the sinus node and can trigger single jumps in heartbeat, distinct from a stress response or exercise. The heart is also created with what we describe as ‘back-up’ pacemaker cells which are what cause ectopic beats. It works continuously, providing approximately 100,000 beats per day, slowing down at night and being faster when required in the daytime. The sinus node is our heart’s natural pacemaker. For example, a resting night time heart rate of 35 beats per minute in a triathlete might be entirely normal for that person, so long as they are not experiencing symptoms of fainting or dizziness. A slow heart might also result from an individual being extremely physically fit. This problem may cause dizziness and fainting in the patient. This might be because of progressive scarring in the electrical system of the heart, which is a problem that does require intervention, such as a pacemaker. On the flipside, sometimes our heart rate can be too slow (bradycardia). What happens when our heart rate is too slow? Hence, when we experience this sensation without physical exertion, many of us feel concerned about our cardiac health. We experience the same response when exercising, but in this context it does not cause us concern as we recognise that it is a natural response to adrenaline. Patients experience this as a strong, forceful and rapid heartbeat that is often misconstrued as a heart rhythm abnormality. Therefore, the response is the same – adrenaline kicks in, increasing both the sinus node rate ( chronotropy) and strength of cardiac contraction ( inotropy), which can be discerned as a palpitations.Īn example of an atrial ectopic beat (red arrow) seen on an electrocardiogram (ECG) rhythm strip:Īn example of a ventricular ectopic beat (blue arrow) seen on an electrocardiogram (ECG) rhythm strip: To put this into context of this day and age, whilst we are not facing encounters with dangerous animals, we do face other mental stressors, such as forgetting to buy your mother-in-law a birthday gift or running late for an important meeting! Although we know that these do not pose the same level of threat as a sabre-toothed cat, our heart does not know the difference. Both reactions bring about an increase in adrenaline, in turn increasing our heart rate. When we are faced with stress or an impending threat, which in its most primal form might have been a sabre-toothed cat, we react with a fight or flight response, activating the autonomic nervous system. What happens when our heart rate increases (too fast)? High up in the right atrium we have the sinus node (also known as the sinoatrial (SA) node), which is responsible for the start of all heart activity. The heart is made up of four chambers – the right and left atria and the right and left ventricles. To answer this question it is important that we understand how our heart responds to stress and how arrhythmias can themselves contribute to stress and anxiety. Here he presented on several topics, including the fascinating link between arrhythmia (specifically ectopic beats) and anxiety. He recently presented at the 2018 Heart Rhythm Congress in Birmingham, which is the largest meeting of heart rhythm specialists in the UK. Dr Boon Lim is a renowned cardiologist and expert in the diagnosis and treatment of arrhythmias.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |