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 UPDATE:
I had a second holter monitor only 20 days later and they found several handfuls of irregular heart beats and racing rhythms on the second one..is this a cause to worry as well the new one is only 20 days later and has such a vast difference...and the "episodes" I can feel are occouring more often.
ORIGINAL QUESTION
I am a 29 year old male in what I considered mostly good health. I have had some problems with reflux but been otherwise healthy. Lately I have been experiencing sensations of my heart racing and it starts out of nowhere. Usually doesn't go above 100- 130 and usually ends up dropping eventually back into the 60's over time. But by the time I get checked out anywhere from 15-30 mins later it usually has slowed. I had 1 Halter and it showed strings of 4-5 PAC's at a time. but not close together. I had an Echo 3 weeks ago before the incidents started waking me up and it showed my heart was normal.. I ended up having some bad episodes for a few days straight where it began to wake me from my sleep with my heart racing. I went to the ER..my heart rate would jump around a lot 65 a few beats later be 80s or 90s then back down to the 70s and so on. Not really staying steady.,...but my blood pressure was normal...and the doctor said I was having random PAC's and PVC's and said it might be signs of SVT but sent me home with nothing more then instructions to relax..My PCP gave me .5mg prescription of Xanax and told me to relax as well. I dont know what to do..I dont like waking from sleep with my heart racing...all the muscles in my shoulders and neck tighten up then eventually after about 15 minutes it calms..I also in the ER had on string where my 12 lead monitor said irregular beat for almost 3 minutes straight and one beat where I felt pressure it felt like my heart stopped then started beating again like 3 seconds later...the monitor even went completely flat on heart rate for a moment like it missed a beat..The dr's dont seem to think that is an issue or anything that is happening to me. Can someone please help it feels like Im going crazy waking up and all the crazy heart rhythms..
Answer Dea Mr. Turley,
Find out if either Holter showed supraventricular tachycardia (SVT). This is a rhythm that starts and stops abruptly, in one heartbeat. It usually runs at 180-200 beats a minute. If so, you;ll need attention paid. SVT does not threaten death or disability, but is a big nuisance and is easy to control with pills and can even be abolished forever with a tiny microwave at the tip of a flexible plastic tube that's inserted into a vein where your leg joins the body and floated in the bloodstream up to the heart.
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