If a heart arrhythmia persists for more than a few minutes or is accompanied by fainting, shortness of breath or chest pain, call 911 or your local emergency number or have someone drive you to the nearest emergency room.
If you are experiencing any abnormal symptoms related to your heart or heart rate, it is always best to seek immediate emergency care to avoid a potentially life-threatening event, such as a heart attack.
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.
The most common intervention performed in the emergency room for patients with atrial fibrillation is the use of heart rate and rhythm altering medications. These medications will be used to reduce the speed and normalize the rhythm of the heart to reduce the severity of symptoms.
Sustained heart palpitations lasting more than 30 seconds are considered a medical emergency. They could indicate pre-existing heart diseases such as coronary artery disease or heart valve disorders.
If you're sitting down and feeling calm, your heart shouldn't beat more than about 100 times per minute. A heartbeat that's faster than this, also called tachycardia, is a reason to come to the emergency department and get checked out. We often see patients whose hearts are beating 160 beats per minute or more.
You should call your doctor if your heart palpitations last longer than a few seconds at a time or occur frequently. If you're healthy, you don't need to worry about brief heart palpitations that only happen every now and then.
More than 850,000 people in the United States are hospitalized for an arrhythmia (abnormal heart rhythm) each year. Left untreated, an arrhythmia can lead to serious, sometimes life-threatening, health problems.
Symptoms of arrhythmias include palpitations, feeling dizzy, fainting and being short of breath, although having these symptoms does not always mean you have a heart rhythm problem. Arrhythmia Alliance's heart rhythm checklists can help you gather information to discuss with your GP if you have any of these symptoms.
The most dangerous arrhythmia is ventricular fibrillation, in which your ventricles quiver rather than beat steadily in time with your atria. Your ventricles will stop pumping blood to the rest of your body, including your heart muscle.
Ventricular tachycardia – This arrhythmia has a fast heartbeat and lasts for only a few seconds. Any duration longer than a few seconds is dangerous and requires emergency medical care. Ventricular fibrillation – V-fib is a very serious condition that can lead to sudden cardiac arrest and death.
Ventricular fibrillation, ventricular tachycardia and prolonged pauses or asystole are dangerous. Arrhythmias associated with very low potassium or magnesium or those associated with inherited causes such as QT prolongation are also serious.
More than 454,000 hospitalizations with AFib as the primary diagnosis happen each year in the United States. The condition contributes to about 158,000 deaths each year.
Triggers include: Blood sugar levels that are too low or too high. Caffeine, illegal drugs, and medicines that make you more alert or increase your energy. Dehydration.
Seek emergency medical attention if heart palpitations occur with: Chest discomfort or pain. Fainting. Severe shortness of breath.
Supraventricular arrhythmias usually cause a fast and irregular heartbeat. This can start suddenly. The most common one is atrial fibrillation. This is where the top 2 chambers of the heart (the atria) quiver instead of beating normally.
Heart arrhythmias occur when the heart beats too quickly, too slowly or irregularly. Remember that a heart arrhythmia is different from a heart attack. Heart arrhythmias are caused by electrical problems. Sometimes, it's just a single skipped beat, but arrhythmias can last minutes, hours, days and possibly years.
If untreated, arrhythmia can create health problems over time, such as: Blood clots: An abnormal heart rhythm can prevent proper blood flow through the heart, causing blood to back up. Blood clots can form, which raises the risk of having a stroke.
Palpitations can be a sign of a heart problem. This is more likely in men or people with heart disease. If your palpitations are frequent, worsening, or lasting more than five minutes, speak with your doctor about your symptoms.
To make sure your palpitations are not a sign of something more serious, let your healthcare provider know if: You experience new or different palpitations. Your palpitations are very frequent (more than 6 per minute or in groups of 3 or more)
An arrhythmia is an abnormal heart rhythm, where the heart beats irregularly, too fast or too slowly. A palpitation is a short-lived feeling of your heart racing, fluttering, thumping or pounding in your chest. An occasional palpitation that does not affect your general health is not usually something to worry about.
AFib episodes rarely cause serious problems, but they'll need to get checked out. If they're uncomfortable or their heart is beating rapidly, call 911 or go to an emergency room. Doctors may use medications or a device called a cardioverter to help their heart go back to a normal rhythm.
But always see your doctor if you have palpitations or feel you have an irregular heart beat. Dial triple zero (000) if you have heart palpitations along with these symptoms: severe shortness of breath. chest pain or tightness.