possibiliy of arrhythmia

[p0rtzer0]

If patient's ECG, Echo cardiogram and Exercise Tolerance Test, reports are normal then still are there any chance that patient could still have arrhythmia undetected ? (due to some clinical reasons)

[p0rtzer0]

i have phlegm stuck in my lower throat (upper brestbone) and it won't come out with coughing (neither do i have coughing) but it causes irritation and sometimes strange pain as if something is stuck in chest.. and when i am having episode of dizziness and presyncop .. that very chest pain (sensation of something stuck in chest) becomes moderate from mild..
however, my presyncop state dissapears if i drink alot of water and milk.. and i try to calm myself..

[grendslori]

Gonzii has an enlarged left ventricle, the reason he has it really doesn't matter; what matters is that he will have problems with arrhythmias as well as dizziness and pre-syncope; the causes of that are the enlarged LV. You can certainly have arrhythmias without any palpitations; most people actually do. When a person first becomes aware of any irregularity, they immediately begin to focus on their heart and what it's doing; that only makes matters a lot worse because then the person is flooding their blood system with catecholamines which makes the heart beat faster and harder (the fight or flight response in the body). Then from that point on, anxiety sets in for most people and a cycle has begun.

[grendslori]

with an enlarged left ventricle, you should NOT be doing what you are doing! You should have learned to do the valsalva manuever IF, and only IF your doctors feel you are safe doing that. Tell your doctor what you are doing.

[p0rtzer0]

do you feel presyncope or dizziness during arrhythmia ?

[gonziiii]

I usually know i am having an arhythmia when i start feeling my heart racing while i am at rest or it starts beating awkwardly, at times its too slow other times i notice skippf or extra beats. An ecg show electrical sys was ok but an echo revealed slihtly enlarged left ventricles due to undermanaged hypertension. My bp drugs were optimisf and i cut down on my alcohol consumption. I have noticed that some food and drugs {captopril and lisinopril)cause arhythmia so i dñt take them again and if i notice any arhythmia less than 2hrs after eating i put my finger in my throat and induce vomiting, the arhythmia usually goes away once d offending food is out. I have not had another episode again. Hope this helps

[gonziiii]

Gonziiii

[p0rtzer0]

oh one more thing.. is palpitation is a must sign of arrhythmia ? or can it occur even without palpitation ? (i.e. on normal 60-70 BPM as well)

[p0rtzer0]

thanks a million

[grendslori]

If his heart rate never exceeded 138bpm then it probably isn't his heart; the fact that he has had so much testing done also would leave one to come to that conclusion. Sometimes the heart can have structural problems that do not allow the heart beat to raise and for those kinds of symptoms, however, the echo would have easily showed those problems. Other things that can cause those symptoms could be the inner ear; see if you can see a neurologist and have a testibular testing done. Another thing that can cause these problems is dehydration; that would probably be the prime cause. Take care

[p0rtzer0]

Thanks for reply,
patient age is 25.. 115 lbs weight, 5.6" height.. he has suffered from "light headed and dizzy, sometimes pre-syncopal" attacks 8 times in 2 months .. but during those attacks his heart beat didn't exceed 138 BPM..

[grendslori]

Overall, this depends on the person's age and overall how healthy they are. What you are describing is NOT an arrhythmia; it is the normal response to activity. Arrhythmias, as I said earlier, start and stop on a dime. For example: a person may be laying in bed or sitting in a chair, who is having an arrhythmia problem will have their rate at 80bpm then jump to 172bpm then jump back to 80bpm. There is no variation in the number of beats......it's just 80,172,80. When the heart rate increases and decreases over time due to exercise, movement or even breathing, that is a normal response of the heart's electrical system. While eating healthy is always a good idea, I don't know if that is going to get rid of an arrhythmia problem because it doesn't get rid of the extra pathways in the heart themselves. You should avoid anything high in caffine such as coffees, teas, chocolates, and sodas, especially Mountain Dew which has a high level of caffine. Usually one of the main symptoms of arrhythmias are being light headed and dizzy, sometimes pre-syncopal due to the lack of blood flow to the brain.

[p0rtzer0]

thanks..
his BPM is 66.. while walking fast it reaching to 72 .. and while climbing staris it reaches 130 BPM .. while sitting down or standing up in a quick manner it reaches 120 BPM.. is it normal ?? or still chances of arrhythmia ? also please elaborate symptoms of arrythmia .. does arrythmia goes away if patient starts eating nutritious food ? (because his goes away).

thanks in advance

[grendslori]

Yes, for sure! First of all, the EKG is only good for the time it is being run. However, if there is something like W-P-W on the EKG, that would show up as a cause for a future arrhythmia to develop. The echo studies the structure of the heart, not the electrical system so you would have to can that one. The Stress test would not show an arrhythmia problem, unless you develop a problem while running. (Some people will develop significant complexes such as PACs/PVCs. Sometimes, if there is an extra pathway in the heart, their heart rates will change). The problem with true arrhythmias is that they are there and then they are gone; that can be in a matter of minutes due to the fact the electrical impulse is jumping from the normal pathways to an abnormal pathway. People who have true arrhythmias have a fast heart rate (160+) that starts and stops on a dime. The best way to catch an arrhythmia is through a 30 Event Monitor; the Holter (24-48-72 HRs) is also good, but it limits the time to catch an arrhythmia which can get pretty frustrating when a patient KNOWS there is a problem and can't prove it.