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Go immediately to the doctor if you have additional symptoms with your irregular heartbeat or you’ve had a heart attack or other heart stress. According to Dr. Hummel, those symptoms include fainting, dizziness, chest pain, swelling in your leg or shortness of breath.
“When should I be worried about an irregular heartbeat?,” you ask. The answer is, “It depends.” While any suspected cardiac abnormalities should be examined by a healthcare provider, you should seek emergency medical attention if you think you’re experiencing a major cardiac event.
A heart arrhythmia (uh-RITH-me-uh) is an irregular heartbeat. A heart arrhythmia occurs when the electrical signals that tell the heart to beat don't work properly. The heart may beat too fast or too slow. Or the pattern of the heartbeat may be inconsistent. A heart arrhythmia may feel like a fluttering, pounding or racing heartbeat.
A heart arrhythmia occurs when the heart beats too fast, too slow, or with an irregular rhythm. The electrical impulse that “kick-starts” each heartbeat comes from the sinoatrial (SA) node. This node is sometimes called the heart’s natural pacemaker.
Heart arrhythmia treatment is usually only needed if the irregular heartbeat causes significant symptoms or puts you at risk of more-serious heart problems. Treatment for heart arrhythmias may include medicines, special actions called vagal maneuvers, procedures or surgery.
Though most fluctuations in heart rhythms will likely be harmless, there are times your first response should be to seek medical advice. Your symptoms are sudden and abnormal. If there’s a clear first time that you notice a rhythm change in your heart, it’s a good idea to alert your doctor.
You should see a doctor right away if you have an irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia) and lightheadedness/fainting, chest pain, difficulty breathing, dizziness, swelling in your leg, symptoms persist or frequently return, coronary artery disease, congestive heart failure, family history of heart disease, high blood pressure, or diabetes.
But, if you’ve been in AFib or experiencing an irregular heartbeat for 24-to-48 hours with no break, you should call your doctor. If symptoms worsen and you feel lightheaded, dizzy or faint, or your heart rate doesn’t come down, you have chest pain or trouble breathing, you should visit the ER. How is AFib diagnosed?
When should I be worried about an irregular heartbeat? If you notice your heart beating too slowly or too rapidly, you may want to schedule an appointment to be examined. If you are experiencing severe symptoms of cardiac arrhythmia, seek medical aid promptly.
Arrhythmias can be an emergency, or they can be harmless. If you feel something unusual happening with your heartbeat, get medical help right away so doctors can find out why it's happening and...