Checking Our Thumps Jumps With Doctor

[sand88]

When you go to the doctor about your heart rhythm issues (pvcs, pacs, the thump, jump, flutter sensations) what kind of tests do they run? Is there anything invasive? Do they do a stress test? I keep thinking that would be dangerous since they are pushing your heart rate up. I was thinking there is a possibility that the heart becomes uncontrollable bringing on the risk of sudden cardiac arrest. Whenever I have a "pvc" "pac" whatever I just stop moving for a while till I think it's okay. It's awful having these things because I always count the time that has passed since the last one.

[sand88]

Thank you so much for your answer! I am lot less afraid of going to the doctor now then before. I just didn't know what they would do and because of the unknown I just kept imagining all the complicated and scary procedures. I can easily forget about doctors when the heart things are only the regular few, but when they are a lot, I really want to have them checked out. It is so reassuring that they don't make you go through unnecessary, invasive tests until you have symptoms that may need further testing. I don't feel pain with the heart things, no chest pain, no fainting or even dizziness. I just have the thumps, jumps, fluttery sensations and a lot of the time I only get one or two a day or none at all, but the other day was too much for one hour. Sometimes that happens but not a lot- a few times a year. I feel a lot better and less afraid to see the doctor now because I know that they will ask me questions and find out the nature of these things and the tests are specific to my symptoms.

[is_something_wrong]

Hello

I think they first to a resting EKG to see if there are any obvious errors on the heart, and an examination of your heart sounds. They also try to record an event, if they are unable to do so, they can tell you to come back when you are bothered by the arrhythmia. Some doctors will stop here, if you don't have other symptoms and reassure you that palpitations are common and almost always benign.

Depending on your history and risk factors for heart disease, some additional tests may be done. They are as follows:

1. If you have palpitations with exercise or symptoms as chest pain, you will get a treadmill or bike stress test.

2. If your palpitations are frequent, they will do 24 hour EKG. If they are infrequent but the doctor think they may represent something else than just PACs or PVCs, you get an event monitor or R-test (recording 1 week up to 1 month).

3. If you have symptoms like shortness of breath, your EKG is abnormal or the doctor otherwise suspects or wants to rule out organic heart disease, they can do an ultrasound of the heart.

4. If you have serious symptoms like fainting or near-fainting and/or your doctor suspects a serious arrhythmia, you can get an electrophysiologic test (minimal invasive procedure where they put electrodes inside the heart through an artery) to provoke arrhythmias and possibly treat them.

There are also some other tests a cardiologist may do, such as a signal averaged EKG or a tilt table test.