AboutDavid Richardson Expertise Adult heart function and disease. Not very good about children lesss than 12. Hypertension is o.k. Heart rhythm a special interest.
Experience Certified in cardiology by the American Board of Internal Medicine. Was chairman of division of cardiology at the Medical College of Virginia. Am now mostly retired.
Organizations Fellow of American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology and member of American Physiological Society..
Publications Circulation, American Heart Journal, Hypertension.
Education/Credentials M.D. from Harvard Medical School. Residency training at Yale Uhniversity School of Medicine and Medical College of Virginia.
Awards and Honors Gold Heartt Award from American Heart Association in 1995.
Question I accidently asked this to the person below you, but meant to send it to you. I don't know if it's possible to email them.
My 14 year old daughter(weighs 160lbs) was scheduled for surgery for ingrown toenails this morning. When they checked her out, they realized she had a high pulse of between 140-150(the nurse said it didn't seem irregular). They felt she might be nervous and gave her a sedative. This didn't help and they decided not to do surgery, and requested she go to a cardiologist. I will be getting a call from their office tomorrow as to if I should take her in or send her for a stress test, echocardiogram and I think they said chest xray first. Her father, her fathers brother, and her fathers father all have heart problems, and I believe they are similar. Her father has an enlarged aorta and a leaky aortic valve. He called his brother who said he had the same thing, and so did their father. Her blood pressure is fine. Is this something that can result in a high pulse? What other illness' would cause a high pulse. I'd like to be prepared with questions when I get a chance to speak with her doctor. Her foot doctor also suggested our 9 year old son be checked out. I checked with their regular doctor and their pulse has never been checked before. Now I look back she's spoken of feeling a little dizzy at times and also having a racing heartbeat at night which I thought was anxiety.
Answer Dear Stephanie,
Anxiety is most likely. Overactive thyroid can too, but should cause weight loss, tremor and heat intolerance. so it's probably not that since she weighs 160 at age 14. Valve leak is possible tho unlikely, as that would cause breathlessness. But she needs an echo with all that family history, and your son should have an echo too. Count her pulse when she's calm and report that to her doctor.
Please write back if this note doesn't answer all your questions.
