Symptoms of Palpitations
Heart palpitations are an awareness of the heart beat; symptoms of palpitations include feeling as though your heart is 'racing', thumping or skipping beats. Often, heart palpitations are noticed during exercise, at times of stress, or after consuming caffeine or nicotine. As such, heart palpitations may or may not be associated with an abnormal heart rhythm.
Diagnosis of Palpitations
Electrocardiography (ECG)
Electrocardiography allows doctors to see how the electrical system in your heart is working. During an ECG test, electrical leads are placed on your chest, arms and legs. These leads detect small electrical signals and produce a tracing on graph paper illustrating the electrical impulses travelling through the heart muscle. ECGs can be performed in several different ways including:
- Resting ECG - performed with the person lying still and quiet, lasting only a few minutes.
- Holter ECG - A Holter monitor (portable ECG machine) records heart activity continuously as the person goes about their daily activities, usually over a 24 hour period.
- Stress EGG (also known as 'exercise ECG' or 'stress test') - usually performed while person is exercising on an exercise bike or treadmill.
Tilt and electrophysiology studies
'Tilt tests' can help doctors to know whether different body positions will trigger an abnormal heart beat or symptoms. Tilt tests are especially useful for investigating the hearts of people who faint without explanation.
Electrophysiology studies (EPS) may be performed to find out the more about an arrhythmia. During an EPS, special catheters are inserted, via a vein in the leg, into the heart itself to record the heart's electrical activity and test its response to various stimuli. The heart's electrical response to these stimuli helps doctors to determine the type and cause of the abnormal heart rhythm.