rapid heart rate

Hi All
What is the difference between afib. and tachycardia? How do you know when it is serious and not just palpatations ?. At what point do you seek medical help? I have changed my cardio and want to ask about settings on pm. Is there a list of questions @ settings on my medtronic duel lead pm? and what if doc doesn't care for medtronic pm as he is using another pm manufacturer?,,,,,,,,,,,,As a rule will he be able to work with my pm or should I seek a doc who is using medtronic pm's in his practice?
Have cut back 50% on my bb and feel strong symptoms of withdrawal ..........but sooooooooo far no afib. I have been lowering my dose slowly.
cheers, Philman

3 Comments

New cardio

by ElectricFrank - 2008-10-21 01:10:21

I'll let someone with more experience with afib and tachycardia give you input on that one. The Mayo web site defines tachycardia as anything over 100BPM, but they don't say under what conditions. With this definition even a healthy athlete has tachy during heavy exercise.

As far as finding a new cardiologist who can deal with your Medtronic, I would ask if he can arrange to have your checkups done by the Medtronic rep. My experience is that most cardiologist's don't understand the details of programming a pacer anyway. I suspect most of the choice for them depends on marketing and kickbacks.

As far as questions to ask it depends on your current settings and why you have the pacer. The first thing to do is ask for a copy of the pre and post programming printout from your last checkup.

frank

A-Fib & Tachycardia

by SMITTY - 2008-10-21 07:10:38

From time to time the subjects of A-Fib and Tachycardia come up. Below are excerpts from a couple of articles on these subjects that I squirreled away a couple of years ago when I had an episode of A-Fib that sent me to the E R. I like the articles because they discuss these aliments in plain English. Maybe they will answer questions for others.

What is atrial fibrillation?

Atrial fibrillation is the most common irregular heart rhythm in the United States. Atrial fibrillation is an abnormal heart rhythm originating in the atria. Instead of the impulse traveling in an orderly fashion through the heart, many impulses begin and spread through the atria and compete for a chance to travel through the AV node. This causes a rapid and disorganized heartbeat.

The rate of impulses through the atria can range from 300 to 600 beats per minute.

The AV node limits the number of impulses it allows to travel to the ventricles.

An ECG recording of atrial fibrillation

What causes atrial fibrillation?
Most common causes
Hypertension (high blood pressure)
Coronary artery disease
Heart valve disease
After heart surgery
Chronic lung disease
Heart failure
Cardiomyopathy
Congenital heart disease
Pulmonary embolism
Less common causes
Hyperthyroidism
Pericarditis
Viral infection

In at least ten percent of the cases, no underlying heart disease is found. In these cases, AF may be related to alcohol or excessive caffeine use, stress, certain drugs, electrolyte or metabolic imbalances, or severe infections. In some cases, no cause can be found.

The risk of AF increases with age, particularly after age 60.

Tachycardia

Definition of Tachycardia

The heart normally beats at a rate of about 60 to 100 beats per minute at rest. A rate faster than 100 beats a minute in an adult is called tachycardia. Most people experience transient rapid heartbeats, called sinus tachycardia, as a normal response to excitement, anxiety, stress, or exercise. If tachycardia occurs at rest or without a logical cause, however, it is considered abnormal.

Description of Tachycardia
The two main types of tachycardia are abnormal supraventricular tachycardias (which originate in the upper chambers of the heart, the atria) and ventricular tachycardias (which originate in the lower chambers of the heart, the ventricles).

The most common forms of tachycardias are:

1. Paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia, which generally has a rate of 140 to 200 beats per minute, develops spontaneously, and stops and starts suddenly, but may recur

2. Atrial flutter, in which the atria beat at 240 to 300 beats per minute, although the actual pulse rate is much slower, because not all of these impulses are translated into contractions of the ventricles

3. Ventricular tachycardia, a very serious arrhythmia initiated in the ventricles, in which the heart rate is usually between 150 and 250

Causes and Risk Factors of Tachycardia

Sinus tachycardias are most likely to occur in those who are easily excitable, suffer anxiety, or drink a lot of caffeine-containing beverages. They may also been seen in people with thyroid disease, with fevers, or with certain drugs (especially asthma and allergy medications).

The occurrence of tachycardias under any of these circumstances does not necessarily imply underlying heart disease.

More severe types of tachycardia tend to occur in those who have underlying heart disease. They may be caused by an electrical disturbance within the heart without an anatomic deformity, or by congenital defects, coronary artery disease, chronic disease of the heart valves, or chronic lung disease.

Tachycardias may also occur in the course of a heart attack (or myocardial infarction).

Symptoms of Tachycardia
The main symptom is awareness of a rapid heartbeat, commonly called "palpitations." Depending on the cause and extent of the tachycardia, other symptoms may include shortness of breath, dizziness, actual syncope (fainting), chest pain, and severe anxiety.

Diagnosis of Tachycardia
Your physician will take a complete medical history and perform a physical examination. Blood tests may be done. He or she may perform an electrocardiogram (EKG) or use a heart monitor to assess your heart's electrical activity.

Treatment of Tachycardia
Medical treatment depends on the cause and type of the tachycardia. Sinus tachycardias usually do not require treatment other than therapy for the underlying cause, if any. A supraventricular paroxysmal tachycardia may respond to certain simple maneuvers that your physician will explain to you. This may involve holding one's breath for a minute, bathing the face in cold water, or massaging the carotid artery in the neck. In other cases, medication may be prescribed to slow the heartbeat on a continual basis.

If tachycardia is severe, or arises from the ventricle, immediate injectable medication or electric shock (electroconversion) may be required to stimulate the heart to return to a normal rate. In rare, severe and resistant cases of ventricular tachycardias, a defibrillation device (AICD, similar to a pacemaker) may be implanted surgically to help maintain a normal heart rhythm.

In elderly people or those with underlying heart disease, it is important to treat tachycardias within a few hours, if at all possible, because a prolonged rapid rate may result in decreased heart function and complications.

Questions To Ask Your Doctor About Tachycardia
What tests need to be done to determine the cause of the tachycardia?

How serious is this?

What are the chances of having a heart attack?

What treatment will you be recommending?

Will any medication need to be prescribed?

questions

by Tracey_E - 2008-10-21 07:10:54

afib is an irregular fast beat and usually has symptoms such as dizziness and weakness, tachy is just a fast beat. They can tell the difference between palpitations, afib and tachy on an ekg. I'd go get checked if you have symptoms such as dizziness, chest pain, whatever. Just a fast beat probably isn't worth a trip.

Did you already find a new doc? When I changed last time, I asked my St Judes rep for a recommendation.

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