Aa
Aa
A
A
A
Close
Avatar universal

ECG results normal?

I went to the hospital with heart palpitations and heartburn (with mild chest pain). They hooked me to an ECG. The nurses left and told me to buzz when the palpitations happened. I did so, there was a delay, I heard their bell ring about 2 seconds later. I saw something on my heart rate, but by the time they looked I feel it may have been gone from their screen. They said the palpations were not my heart, but muscle spasms. This image shows what I saw on the monitor (roughly) when I felt my heart leap.

http://tinypic.com/r/dqq0t3/5

They insist they saw nothing, but I am certain I saw a pattern resembling this each time I felt my heart leap. Should I seek a second opinion on this? Or could this be caused by muscle spasms near the heart? This happens every 5-15 minutes over the last 10 hours.

I am currently four to five week pregnant. I have had palpitations for many years (7 I think), starting very far apart (six months to a year) and they are getting closer and closer together over time. For the last week I have had them every day starting at eight pm. They have disrupted my sleep.
4 Responses
Sort by: Helpful Oldest Newest
1124887 tn?1313754891
Hello,

My bad, a terrible explaination. Probably due to a long day at work.

What I meant, is (for example) if you have a normal 60 degree R axis, the most positive R wave is found in lead II since this electrode is placed at 60 deg and this vector of course is the largest. What I was referring to was PVCs with extreme right axis giving negative R axis in lead 1-3 (or some of them). My illustration was incorrect (and maybe this is too, as I said, long day and somewhat bad English knowledge :)

Helpful - 0
967168 tn?1477584489
darn I can't upload photos to here or I'd show you some whacko pvc's they've caught on my ekg's lol

I would def ask the ER for a copy of my test results and then go to a cardiologist for a full workup if you've been dealing with these dreaded things for that long - it could be nothing, nerves, anxiety, pregnancy, hormones etc but it will help your peace of mind finding out what's going on

take care of yourself and stop worrying, I'm sure stress is not good for you or your baby
Helpful - 0
995271 tn?1463924259
"The QRS-complex (the "spike" representing your main heart chambers contracting) is negative, because the impulse is generated in the bottom of your ventricles and moves backwards, compared with a normal beat that starts on top and is conducted down. "

Maybe I'm reading this wrong, but I have to disagree with your statement. A negative wave (below the isoelectric) does not indicate where in the heart the impulse was generated.  It indicates net polarity.  It can mean all sorts of different things.

For instance, a T wave represents repolarization of the ventricles (recovery).  It is usually net positive (above the isoelectric), however in certain ischemic situations or meds, the net polarity may be negative (below the isoelectric).

A PVC is usually a very bizarre wave.  It will be wide and will have extreme amplitudes, usually.  It will usually have a large positive wave followed by a large negative wave.  When an ectopic beat occurs, the ventricles fire sequentially instead of simultaneously as in a normal beat. Because of this the wave is much wider than normal and will have large amplitudes.    

luciab45, I don't think anyone could tell you for certain what you drew.    You might be able to go back to the ER and see if they have anything on their medical records.  If it's still happening, set yourself up with a cardiologist and go from there.  Do not depend on an ER to diagnose a none-life threatening conidtion.
Helpful - 0
1124887 tn?1313754891
Hi, nice drawing there :)

I have a theory (I'm afraid this answer may be a bit inaccurate, the ecg drawing is impressive but it's not actually as good as an ECG).

It looks like a PVC. The QRS-complex (the "spike" representing your main heart chambers contracting) is negative, because the impulse is generated in the bottom of your ventricles and moves backwards, compared with a normal beat that starts on top and is conducted down.

To analyze your drawing a bit further, I'm not sure if it's supposed to be an even distance between the PVC and the preceding and the following beat. If it is, this may be what is called an interpolated PVC, that happens exact in the middle of two ordinary beats, and thus do not replace the following beat (which is normal and causing the annoying pause and thump afterwards).

Anyway, PVCs are usually counted on heart monitors, so it's kind of strange no one noticed it.

This is just a theory. It's completely possible this is only caused by loose electrodes or other artifacts/bugs. Though - if you felt a palp, the PVC theory is plausible.

Helpful - 0
Have an Answer?

You are reading content posted in the Heart Rhythm Community

Top Arrhythmias Answerers
1807132 tn?1318743597
Chicago, IL
1423357 tn?1511085442
Central, MA
Learn About Top Answerers
Didn't find the answer you were looking for?
Ask a question
Popular Resources
Are there grounds to recommend coffee consumption? Recent studies perk interest.
Salt in food can hurt your heart.
Get answers to your top questions about this common — but scary — symptom
How to know when chest pain may be a sign of something else
A list of national and international resources and hotlines to help connect you to needed health and medical services.
Herpes sores blister, then burst, scab and heal.