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Find Out If Your Heart Is At Risk
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Rapid Heartbeat
A normal heart contracts 60 to 100 times a minute. Changes in rate brought about by variations in activity, diet, medication and age are normal and common. However, when the heart beats too quickly for a long time (referred to as tachycardia), the ventricles do not have enough time to fill with blood and cannot effectively pump blood to the rest of the body. This fast heart rate decreases the amount of oxygen carried to the body cells.
Additionally, when a heart begins to race for no apparent reason, it can signal an abnormality in the electrical pathway and is cause for evaluation. Abnormal rapid heart rates can range from 100 beats a minute up to 400 beats a minute. They can be relatively harmless or life-threatening.
The normal heart produces electrical signals that pass through the heart. This passage of electricity ends in a carefully coordinated contraction of heart muscle that pushes blood throughout the human body.
Symptoms
The symptoms of rapid heartbeat range from mild discomfort to life-threatening unconsciousness. They include:
- Heart skipping a beat
- Palpitations
- Shortness of breath
- Dizziness
- Blackouts
- Fainting or near fainting
- Death
- Beating out of rhythm
- Rapid heart action
- Chest pain
- Lightheadedness
- Temporary blind spots
- Chaotic, quivering, or irregular rhythm
Risk Factors
Anyone can develop a rapid heartbeat, even young people without a previous heart problem. However, problems are more common in people who:
- Have had previous heart trouble
- Are over 65 years of age
- Have suffered damage caused by a heart attack, cardiac surgery, or other conditions
- Have rare, inherited heart defects
Most Common Rapid Heartbeat
Atrial fibrillation is the most common fast heart rhythm in the United States. More than 2 million people experience atrial fibrillation (AF). In AF, the heartbeat is irregular and rapid. The upper chambers, or atria, may beat as often as 400 times a minute, about four times faster than normal.
Although it isn't life threatening, AF can lead to other problems. Chronic fatigue and heart failure are both common problems that are present with AF. Chances of having a stroke are five times higher for those with AF than for those without AF.
Treatment Options
The treatment for rapid heart rhythms varies widely depending on the cause. Severe symptoms must be treated as an emergency. The heart may need a "shock" of electricity from a device called a defibrillator to restore a normal heart beat.
Not all rapid rhythms produce a crisis. Most can be treated by the doctor using special medication. If the rapid rhythm continues and the symptoms worsen, an electrophysiologist may be called in.
An electrophysiologist is a cardiologist who has special training in the diagnosis and treatment of complicated heart rhythms. For complex rhythms, an electrophysiology study (EP) may be indicated. An EP study uses special wires to evaluate the entire conduction system of the heart. An electrical "map" is made to locate the problem area. A method of treating problem areas is catheter ablation.
Catheter ablation is a method of eliminating problem areas using a special energy catheter. Its energy may take the form of radiofrequency energy, which ablates (or cauterizes) a very small area of tissue, or intense cold, which freezes the tissue. This treatment has been found to be very effective in treating chronic heart rhythm problems.