May 25, 2012
Topics A-Z Heart Disease EKG for Heart Palpitations
EKG for Heart Palpitations |
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Dear Ask The Doctor: Hello I had an episode of heart palpitations last night but nothing more. I had an EKG done. Does it look normal? Thanks John Dear John: I get this question all the time in my day to day practice. Patients present with heart related concerns and want an EKG to know if they have a good or bad prognosis. Unfortunately, an EKG is rarely the best choice of testing and can only really tell us what the electrical conduction system of the heart is doing at that exact moment in time. Palpitations - the feeling that your heart is beating irregularly - can be caused my many things. Lifestyle factors includes, stress, alcohol, drugs and smoking. Medical factors include trauma, inflammation, thyroid disease, hormone abnormalities, electrolyte disturbances, nutritional deficiencies, and genetic predispositions. All these things need to be investigated. Simultaneously, it is best to do a 48 hour holter or an event triggered holter that can monitor your heart over time as opposed to just one moment in time. Please ask your doctor if this is appropriate in your case. The attached EKG can only tell me that you are currently not having a heart attack. It does not provide any insight into your palpitatons. I hope that helped. |
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| Last Updated ( Sunday, 30 January 2011 ) |
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