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HowToPreventHeartDisease.com |
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Why Is Heart Rhythm Important And How To Check? For a normal healthy person, the heart usually beats at a regular rhythm, controlled by electrical activity in the body. The sinus node in the heart monitors how much blood the body requires and sends electrical impulses that cause the chambers of the heart to contract at the correct pace for the body’s needs. Most people have a resting heart rate of 60 to 100 beats per minute, which speeds up during exercise or stressful situations. An arrhythmia occurs when the heart beats too fast, too slow or at an irregular pace. Even if one has a healthy heart, he or she could have an arrhythmia at some point for no reason and without any real risk to the health. But if this happen too often for an extended period of time, there may be an underlying issue. Various reasons causing arrhythmia include stress, an infection or fever, medication and other stimulants like drugs or alcohol. But it can also due to illnesses like heart disease, high blood pressure, thyroid disorders, lung disease, diabetes, surgery. Atrial fibrillation (AFib) is the most common type of arrhythmia, especially among older adults. It is an irregular heart rhythm caused by abnormal, chaotic electrical impulses in the heart’s atria (upper chambers). These electrical impulses fire so rapidly the atria cannot beat with a regular rhythm, and merely quiver while the ventricles (the heart’s lower chambers) beat rapidly. Generally, a doctor can find an irregular heartbeat during a physical exam by taking the pulse or through an electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG). Nevertheless, a brief ECG done in a doctor’s clinic may not actually pick up sporadic bouts of AFib. Longer monitoring is often necessary to detect AFib as the chaotic heart rhythm may last just a few minutes and happen only occasionally.
In order to detect the chaotic heart rhythm, one may need a way to regularly monitor the situation at home. There are a few ways to monitor the heart rhythm. These include traditional methods like the classic two-finger pulse test and the stethoscope, or medical tools like Holter monitor and Smartphone Heart Rhythm Apps. Checking pulse is simple. One can just place the second and third fingers of the right hand on the edge of the left wrist and slide the fingers to the center of the wrist until finding the pulse. Rather than counting the beats, one should check for a steady, regular rhythm. Unfortunately, not all people find it easy to check their own pulse, perhaps because of anxiousness. A stethoscope, just like the one used by doctors, can be used to do the pulse check, too. But some people may find it difficult to use, in addition to the same sort of anxiety that is associated with a pulse check. Doctors may give patients with sporadic paroxysmal AFib episodes a device called Holter monitor to wear. It records the electrical activity of the heart for as long as one wears it, which could be a few days. Using wireless cellular technology, the device sends the recordings to the doctor's office or a company that interprets the data. Paroxysmal AFib, also known as intermittent AFib, occurs when a rapid, erratic heart rate begins suddenly and stops spontaneously. It can last a few seconds, hours or days before stopping and returning to normal rhythm, usually within 7 days. With the popularity and capabilities of smartphones, one can also use them with the help of apps to monitor the heart rhythm. For instance, Kardia Mobile by AliveCor (US$99), a tool with a smartphone app that allows one to monitor the heart rate, providing instant EKG analysis. Another example is the app called Cardiio (free) that enables heart rate monitoring. To measure the heart rate, simply place the finger over the smartphone camera flash for several seconds to get the results.
Once an abnormal heart rhythm is picked up during
routine monitoring either by pulse check or by other means, it is imperative for
the patient to report to his or her doctor, who may need to perform EKG or ECG
to ascertain the AFib diagnosis. Date: October 24, 2019
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