Palpitations and Arrhythmia

Our hearts beat commonly between 60-100 times per minute. The heart beat is kept steady through a specific network of electrical connections within the heart. If these electrical connections are disturbed, the heart can end up beating irregularly, too fast or too slowly.

An abnormality in heart rhythm is called an arrhythmia. Symptoms of arrhythmia often include palpitations, feeling faint or breathlessness.

If arrhythmia is suspected, Dr Modi can perform a range of investigations to establish a diagnosis.

These include:

• Electrocardiogram (ECG) – heart tracing
• Blood tests (including thyroid function)
• A 24 hour, 72 hour or 7 day ECG heart monitor
• Echocardiogram – to look for structural heart abnormalities that can cause arrhythmia
• Cardiac MRI – to further look for structural heart abnormalities that can cause abnormalities (but also to assess if there is a problem with the heart’s blood supply)
• An implantable loop recorder – a small monitor under the skin to interrogate symptoms that occur infrequently.

Once a diagnosis is made, Dr Modi can initiate medication or therapy for common arrhythmias (such as Atrial Fibrillation or Ventricular Ectopics). In the rare occasions further intervention is indicated in the form of a pacemaker, defibrillator or ablation, then Dr Modi can refer to relevant specialists that specialise in these procedures.