Heartbeat sensations

Alternative names:

heart pounding; irregular heartbeat; palpitations

Home care:

If a person seems stressed or anxious, focus on dealing with the stress and anxiety.

Not all cardiac rhythm disorders are treated with medications. Every anti-arrhythmic medication currently available can produce side effects, some of which are potentially more dangerous and troublesome than the arrhythmia itself.

Except for those who need to monitor their heart rate for specific reasons (such as taking digitalis or a beta blocker, or to monitor for aerobic exercise), monitoring the pulse on a regular basis is not necessary.

Call your health care provider if:

• a rapid heartbeat continues for more than an hour, or if there is shortness of breath, chest pain, unusual sweating, dizziness, or fainting.
• there are very frequent extra beats (more than 6 per minute or coming in runs of 3 or more).
• the pulse is more than 100 beats per minute (without exercise, anxiety, or fever).

What to expect at your health care provider's office:

If the patient is in distress, cardiac rhythm will be monitored and emergency intervention will be performed as necessary to restore normal cardiac rhythm. Otherwise, the doctor will want to know the exact pulse rate and whether or not the rhythm was regular at the time the problem occurred. Often the symptoms will disappear by the time the doctor sees the patient.

Medical history questions documenting palpitations in detail may include:

• type
  • Do you feel skipped or stopped beats?
  • Is there a slow heart rate?
  • Is the heartbeat rapid, racing, pounding, or fluttering?
  • Is there a regular pattern to the unusual heartbeat sensation?
  • Is there an irregular pattern?
  • Is the heartbeat sensation induced by a change in body position?

• time pattern
  • Did the palpitations begin or end suddenly?
  • Did they occur in response to reminders of a traumatic event?

• associated complaints
  • Was the pulse (heart rate) fast?
  • What was the heart rate (how many beats per minute)?
    • Normal is less than 100 for adults, slightly faster for children and infants.

• other
  • What other symptoms are present?

Vital signs (temperature, pulse, rate of breathing, blood pressure) will be measured.

Diagnostic tests that may be performed include:

• ECG
• chest X-ray (seldom needed)
• holter monitor (for 24 hours)

After seeing your health care provider:
If a diagnosis was made by your health care provider related to palpitations, you may want to note that diagnosis in your personal medical record.