Cold medicines, available without prescription, sometimes contain drugs such as decongestants that can stimulate the heart and these are probably best avoided as they may increase your symptoms. In some people, eliminating alcohol, caffeine, stress, tiredness may help. If they do cause unpleasant symptoms there are things that can be done to try to limit them. The vast majority of people do not require specifi c treatment for ectopics. However, it should be emphasised that in most individuals ectopics do not indicate any problems with the heart. Further cardiological assessment may be advised. Although in most individuals ectopic beats are not a cause for concern, they can occasionally indicate underlying structural heart disease and in this scenario may be of greater signifi cance. In patients with frequent symptoms a 24 hour ECG will sometimes be undertaken to clarify the pattern and frequency of the ectopic beats and their relation to symptoms. The ECG demonstrates the electrical activity of the normal heart beat, with ectopic beats having a different appearance or timing. If you are not having the ectopics all that regularly it may not be possible to catch them on an ECG so a portable monitor may be required. In general a health professional can make the diagnosis of an ectopic beat from the story that you give, but an electrical heart tracing is required (Electrocardiogram or “ECG”, or a monitor) to confi rm this diagnosis. every 2nd beat throughout the day and night). Although such symptoms can be unpleasant, ectopics will not cause any damage to your heart unless extremely frequent (e.g. In this second case the additional beat of the heart actually has occurred in the pause and the following thud is the heart catching up. An ectopic beat can be felt as an “extra” beat in the rhythm of the heart or as a “thud” following a short pause in the rhythm of the heart. Any awareness of the heartbeat is known as “palpitation”. They do not usually indicate any problems with the heart. Most people who have ectopics are completely unaware of them – our awareness of what goes on in our bodies is extremely variable. Thus there is more opportunity for them to occur when the heart is going slower, such as during the night with sleep or when relaxing.Įctopic beats are very, very common and in most people with no other heart disease they are harmless but they can be troublesome due to the sensation that they sometimes produce. These beats occur before the normal beat of the heart can form. An ectopic beat is an early (“premature”) or “extra” beat which can come from either one of the upper chambers of the heart (the atria) or one of the lower chambers (the ventricles). ![]() The word “ectopic” just means “wrong place” – for example “ectopic pregnancy” means a pregnancy outside the womb. Sometimes beats can be fi red from elsewhere and these are known as “ectopic beats”. ![]() long QT syndrome, polymorphicĬatecholamine-sensitive ventricular tachycardia) may be predictive of serious arrhythmiasĪnd require the involvement of a cardiologist.Normal heart beats come from the pacemaker of the heart known as the sinoatrial node which is situated in the top right hand chamber (the right atrium). Heart failure) and hereditary ion-channel disorders (e.g.
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