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Palpitation

Palpitation

This is a term that means different things to different people!

Palpitation for some means a sudden unexplained surge of rapid heartbeat and feeling generally unwell while the heart is racing away.

Palpitation can also mean a subjective sensation of a strong heart thump and often associated with a missed beat or two.

While a lot of these sensations maybe explained by the hectic lifestyle we lead in a busy metropolis, we should regulate our sleeping habit, cut down on caffeine and alcohol consumption. Should the symptoms persist, one should seek advice from a heart specialist.

Common heart rhythm problem like atrial fibrillation if left uncontrolled may lead to heart failure and significantly increased the risk of stroke. Patient can feel easily tired and run out of breath quickly.

Early detection of heart rhythm disturbances with the appropriate treatment can significantly reduce such risks.

FAQ

  1. Why did the doctor give my dad blood thinner to treat his irregular heartbeat?
    • Patient with a condition called atrial fibrillation is at increased risk of clot forming inside the heart chamber. If these clots were ejected out of the heart and lodged into the brain blood vessel this would result in a stroke.  Blood thinner prohibits clot formation inside the heart and reduce the associated stroke risk.

  2. What are the treatment options for palpitation?
      • This is usually a two prongs approach. There is the role of blood thinning to protect against stroke as mentioned before. Then there a need to control the symptom itself. Medications that regulate the heart are commonly prescribed to calm down these rapid heartbeat.

IF YOU HAVE THE ABOVE SYMPTOMS

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Heart Diseases

Our Cardiologist

Dr. Paul Ong

Senior Consultant Cardiologist

BA (Cambridge)
MB BChir (Cambridge)
MA (Cambridge)
MRCP (UK)
CCST Cardiology (UK)
FRCP (London)
FESC (Europe)