Disruption of the heart muscle. Interruptions in the work of the heart. Heart rhythm disturbances: symptoms

Feeling of heartbeat.

Palpitations are a common unpleasant symptom that can be described as the feeling of your own heart beating. As a rule, it is associated with a rhythm disturbance or an increase in myocardial contractility. A feeling of palpitations can occur immediately after a slowdown in cardiac activity (with the sudden development of complete atrioventricular block) or when atrial fibrillation switches to sinus rhythm. Palpitations are especially pronounced when they are recent, transient, or episodic. Patients with organic heart disease and chronic rhythm disturbances or increased stroke volume usually adapt to these abnormalities and are often less sensitive to them than healthy people.

Cardiac stumbling is one of the most common complaints people see a cardiologist for. Half of all inquiries we receive on the Internet are related to this issue, and many people who visit their doctor in practice seek advice from their elders.

The affected person feels threatened by the touch of the heart, and the heart often stumbles in the evenings and at night in their existence and fears that the heart may stop at any moment and that they will then die. When such people come to us Cardiologists 2 Objectives.

Heart rhythm disturbances: symptoms

You must first find out why those affected are experiencing palpitations and palpitations. In many cases, people are found to experience a rapid heartbeat, but at these stages, the supposedly irregular heartbeat is a completely regular heart attack. In other cases, they detect abnormalities in the heart rhythm, that is, cardiac arrhythmias. There are many such cardiac arrhythmias. Each of us has this because a biological organ never works as accurately and evenly as a technical engine.

Short-term palpitations that occur after drinking coffee, alcohol, tea, after smoking, with excitement, after intense physical activity, taking certain medications. This heartbeat is not associated with heart disease and is due to an increase in the tone of the sympathetic nervous system and its positive chronotropic effect on the heart.

Alone, because each of us has such cardiac arrhythmias, you may learn that they are by no means always a fatal threat. Many rhythmic disturbances are nothing more than electrical nonsense of the heart that worries us but will not kill us. However, you and cardiologists know, of course, people who have died from such cardiac arrhythmias. The fear that you feel for such stumps of your heart is certainly justified.

You, as victims, are unlikely to have the opportunity to make this distinction, because many of the completely harmless rhythm disturbances cause very unpleasant and threatening symptoms. On the other hand, many of the truly threatening disorders do not have significant symptoms and are "noticeable" only with a heart attack. If you still cannot recognize the difference.

Short-term heartbeat that occurs when performing normal (habitual) physical activity. This heartbeat is typical for patients with a second functional class of chronic heart failure (NYHA classification).

Short-term heartbeat that occurs when performing minor (less than usual) physical activity. This heartbeat is typical for patients with the third functional class. chronic heart failure (NYHA).

How can you detect the real risk of heart arrhythmia? The causes may be, for example, organic heart diseases such as, for example, circulatory problems of the heart muscle, heart attack, heart failure, or a defect in the heart valve that may have gone unnoticed. In simple terms, cardiac arrhythmias affecting an organically diseased heart should be considered dangerous until the opposite is proven, regardless of whether the affected person notices the discomfort. You should look for the reasons why these rhythm disturbances occur. ... At the end of this “diagnosis of cardiac arrhythmia,” the answer to the question is whether the irregularities in the rhythm represent harmless electrical nonsense of the heart or a mortal threat.

Constant heartbeat that does not disappear even at rest. This heartbeat is typical for patients with the fourth functional class of chronic heart failure (NYHA).

Constant heartbeat that occurs in patients with certain pathological conditions(high body temperature, thyrotoxicosis, severe anemia, aortic valve insufficiency).

The answer to this question is also whether you need to treat your heart rhythm disorder in order to save your life, or you can treat it to fix the irregular heartbeat and make your life more comfortable. There is a lot of information here that can help you understand this phenomenon and deal with it better. However, reading this information should not be a substitute for an in-depth discussion with your general practitioner or cardiologist, who can personally explain many things to you and which may be covered too briefly in such a brochure.

Paroxysmal palpitations. It occurs suddenly and just as suddenly stops (more often after adequate drug therapy). This heartbeat is due to a disturbance in the rhythm of the heart - paroxysmal tachycardia... It arises when ischemic disease heart (myocardial infarction, postinfarction cardiosclerosis), with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome (a syndrome caused by the presence of additional pathways of the heart).

Irregular heart rate. Usually the heart rate is regular. Near the roof of the right atrium there is a nerve node that produces electrical impulses every time. The sinus node is connected via nerve pathways to the brain and various sensors in the body, which can affect how fast it generates an impulse. Therefore, the heartbeat increases with excitement and tension, and falls at rest and during sleep. From the sinus node, electrical impulses travel along conductors above the two antennas.

Increased fatigue, tiredness

When the impulses reach the hallway musculature, they react with twitching, and the pump kicks in front of the cameras. Watch in the film 1 course of normal electrical excitation of the heart. On the border between the anterior and main chambers, the sinoatrial pathways are united into a large node. Here the electrical impulses are slowed down for about 150 milliseconds and then stopped. These "limbs" branch further and further, and at the end of this path of excitation, the best conducting fiber reaches each individual cell of the heart muscle.

Periodic interruptions in work hearts. They are based on a violation of the rhythm of the heart, which is called extrasystole (extrasystole - an extraordinary contraction). Such interruptions disturb patients with ischemic heart disease, myocarditis, and vegetative-vascular dystonia. If interruptions in the work of the heart are accompanied by a sensation that patients describe with the words “the heart in the chest seems to turn over, tumbling, and then - freezes,” then, most likely, there is a ventricular extrasystole. With ventricular extrasystole, the course of excitation of the myocardium can change to the opposite from the usual one (for example, with ecotysystole from the apex of the heart). This explains the described sensations. After the ventricular extrasystole, as usual, a complete compensatory pause follows, which is perceived by the patient as a "fading" in the work of the heart.

Heart disease: hidden signs

When a cell in the heart muscle reaches an electrical impulse, it responds with a twitch. If all of the heart muscle cells in the heart chamber twitch at the same time, a heart rhythm occurs. Thus, the task of the electrical system of the heart is to ensure that the heart beats regularly at the required frequency and that electrical impulses excite each cell of the heart muscle in a precisely selected manner.

Each irregularity in the regularity of the heart rhythm is called a cardiac arrhythmia. As described below cardiac arrhythmia, you will learn later in the chapter. Cardiac arrhythmia is divided into arousal and arousal disorders. There is a difference between arousal disorders.

Extrasystole is often detected in people with hypokalemia, more often, it is observed in men, and progresses with age. Patients who have had myocardial infarction, extrasystole is more often worried in the morning. In patients with severe dysfunctions of the heart, certain patterns in the occurrence of extrasystoles at different times of the day are not detected.

Cardiac arrhythmia razor

Tachycardia Cardiac arrhythmias

Arrhythmic cardiac arrhythmia. The frequency of the sinus node changes with each breath. When inhaled, the frequency increases slightly; when it exhales, it decreases. These breathing-dependent fluctuations are called respiratory arrhythmias. This completely harmless phenomenon is especially noticeable in babies and children.

Feeling short of air

Here the sinus node is no longer working. The transition between sinus tachycardia, atrial tachycardia, and the orifice is fluid. Again, the sinus node is no longer working properly. Often, especially in the case of hereditary diseases, because the transition to the closure of the chamber and ventricular fibrillation threaten.

Constant interruptions in the work of the heart. They are based on atrial fibrillation (synonym - atrial fibrillation). Atrial fibrillation is the second most common heart rhythm disorder (after extrasystole).

With atrial fibrillation, the depolarization of the atrial muscle fibers is disorganized. As a result, they fibrillate at a frequency of 350 to 600 per minute, and atrial systole is no longer effective. The ventricles of the heart contract irregularly. In untreated patients with a normal impulse conduction rate but atrioventricular junction, the ventricular rate usually ranges from 100 to 160 per minute. The most common atrial fibrillation is observed:

Heart rhythm disorder: treatment

Often heart chasing, dizziness, sometimes a feeling of powerlessness. Life-threatening rhythm disturbance, since at any moment the transition to ventricular fibrillation threatens. Often severe dizziness, impotence, unconsciousness, sweating, or feelings of powerlessness.

Dizziness and fainting can have many other causes and are only occasionally caused by cardiac arrhythmias. In such cases, however, one should always look for cardiac arrhythmias, especially when syncope has already occurred. Many situations in which heart palpitations are felt are not due to cardiac arrhythmias. Whether in these cases, such periods of high blood pressure, when the heart is tightly tied in the chest, cannot always be figured out. Often the causes of the heartbeat remain in the dark.

In patients with ischemic heart disease, in the acute stage or after myocardial infarction;

In patients with mitral stenosis (stenosis of the left atriovenous

tricular hole);

In patients with thyrotoxicosis (hyperthyroidism

In patients with essential hypertension.

The very first sign of incipient heart problems. Shortness of breath occurs when the heart is still slightly affected, but can no longer pump enough blood.

Severe dizziness, fainting spells, almost weak feeling, extreme heart attacks. Such severe symptoms can always be caused by an extremely slow or fast heart rate. Here, if not treated immediately, there is a threat of death and death. Therefore, an emergency doctor should be called immediately, even if the impotence has only stopped briefly. Only a physician can distinguish whether it was a harmless circulatory collapse or syncope caused by cardiac arrhythmias and initiate appropriate treatment.

Factors that increase the risk of developing during life

The feeling of fainting is always a serious warning, with or without the feeling of a previous rapid heartbeat! It is impossible to prevent cardiac arrhythmias. In addition, each person has cardiac arrhythmias in the form of extrasystoles. Most cardiac arrhythmias occur with no known cause and the risk factors are unknown. Some cardiac arrhythmias, especially dangerous forms, occur after other diseases. Such diseases that can develop in the course of life are.

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Swelling in the legs

These are signs of vascular disorders. Edema in heart disease begins to appear in cases where the heart ceases to cope with the increased load and decompensation occurs.

Blue lips

In case of insufficient blood circulation of the heart, a pale or bluish color of the lips is noted. If the lips are completely pale, anemia (anemia) should be excluded.

For most of these diseases, heart arrhythmias are not a problem, but the disease that causes them. Overactive thyroid gland: Often occurs with cardiac coinage. Congenital heart defects can, even if they do not cause an irregular heartbeat, childhood leads to lifelong arrhythmias. The influence of this development in itself is hardly possible, because the arrhythmia is caused in these cases by a deterioration in cardiac output and an increase in damage to the heart muscle.

Such changes between bradycardia and tachycardia can sometimes occur within one day and occur completely unpredictably. People with this condition are at risk of heart attack due to extreme cardiac arrest and are prone to fainting. They should not be treated with special rhythmic medications, as their heart may be sensitive to them; and a pacemaker must first be implanted before using such drugs to treat heart palpitations. The diagnosis of a diseased sinus node usually occurs with a carotid pressure test.

If you see a person in front of you who is obese, it is almost guaranteed that he has cardiovascular disease. Extra pounds is a serious additional burden on the heart.

The bluish-red color of the cheeks can be an indicator of abnormalities in the mitral valve.

Red bumpy nose

Healing Behaviors

All types of behavior that contribute to the occurrence of diseases that cause arrhythmias.

Behaviors that make the disease worse

In many cases, the presence of cardiac arrhythmias, with or without an underlying disorder, is influenced by the autonomic nervous system. Avoidance of such excesses for the prevention of cardiac arrhythmias is obvious. Since almost every person communicates with cardiac arrhythmias through the person causing his symptoms, one should try to identify such typical situations, food or drinks, so that they can be omitted.

A red, bumpy nose streaked with blood vessels suggests hypertension.

Signs of a medical emergency:

  • superficial shortness of breath, in which the patient cannot take a full breath;
  • severe pallor or abnormally red complexion;
  • poorly palpable, but rapid pulse;
  • suddenly clouded look;
  • slurred speech;
  • the inability of the patient to respond to speech addressed to him;
  • loss of consciousness.

You should not ignore the feeling of discomfort in the chest, heaviness or pain behind the sternum, pain radiating to the arm, back, under the shoulder blade, in the throat, in the jaw, lack of air - these are symptoms of a heart attack.

Treatment is possible in 6 ways. In addition, psychotherapeutic treatment may be required, especially with very anxious people.

  • Light stabilizers can sometimes be used.
  • Treatment of an excitatory disease.
Finding the cause of rhythm disturbances is important, because with successful treatment of the underlying disease, the disappearance or relief of arrhythmias usually occurs. For example, heart valves or circulatory disorders of the heart muscle, or treatment with balloon expansion, if expected, to eliminate, relieve, or "defuse" dangerous cardiac arrhythmias.

Heart disease: hidden signs

The signs of a heart attack are well known to us: pain or pressure behind the breastbone, shortness of breath, heart rhythm disturbances, fear, sweating, dizziness, and sometimes loss of consciousness. However, there are a number of signs by which one can suspect and warn him long before an attack.

The first signs of heart failure begin to appear several months or even years before a heart attack. These may be the following signs.

Chest pain

What can be confused with the pain from angina pectoris. with heartburn, with toothache, with intercostal neuralgia, with muscle pain, with nerve entrapment. It's easy to check: take nitroglycerin. Pain with angina pectoris will significantly decrease or stop.

These "pains" that occur periodically in men over 40 and in women over 45 should be the reason for contacting a therapist for a heart check.

Feeling short of air

Shortness of breath is rapid breathing and a feeling of shortness of breath that occurs during physical or emotional stress, and then during daily activities. This is a symptom of either lung or heart problems.

"Heart" shortness of breath often occurs in the supine position. It happens that the heart a few days before the attack even sleep while sitting or suffer from insomnia.

Increased fatigue, tiredness

This symptom is noted by most women who have had a heart attack. An uncharacteristic fatigue from daily work may have pursued them for several months before the attack, but they did not pay attention to it.

Decreased libido

65% of men who are diagnosed with coronary heart disease may suffer from erectile dysfunction for several years before. In women, this manifests itself as a decrease in libido, difficulty in reaching orgasm.

If the problem with erection persists for a long enough time and does not depend on stress at work or physical fatigue, this is a reason to contact a therapist or cardiologist and have your heart checked.

Snoring and sleep apnea

According to statistics, sleep apnea increases the risk of a heart attack three times over the next 5 years. That is why difficulty breathing during sleep and snoring should not go unnoticed - these are problems that require immediate correction by the therapist. Perhaps together with a cardiologist.

Gingivitis and periodontitis

Oddly enough, gum disease and bleeding can also be associated with heart disease.

There are two theories to explain this fact. Firstly, with cardiovascular diseases, the blood supply to the body deteriorates, small arteries are affected, and the tissues around the tooth are very sensitive to the amount of oxygen supplied. Secondly, it is known that diseases of the oral cavity can be complicated by heart disease (for example, myocarditis after angina). This means that bacteria that cause gum disease can be involved in damaging the arteries that feed the heart, and in the development of inflammation in them.

Edema

When the heart stops working at full strength, the blood cannot remove metabolic products and fluid from the tissues. As a result, edema is formed - this is a sign of heart failure. Subtle at first, they build up over time. Swelling can be suspected from shoes and rings. This symptom requires a mandatory examination of the heart.

Arrhythmia

Violation of the rhythm of the heart can manifest itself long before the attack. Sometimes it is revealed only under load. A prophylactic ECG helps to identify it, which should be performed once a year for men over 40 and women over 45.

People with risk factors for myocardial infarction should be especially attentive to the presence of these symptoms. These include: high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart attacks in the patient himself or in relatives, smoking, diabetes mellitus. hypodynamia. obesity.

The first signs of coronary heart disease

Coronary artery disease consists of several diseases, the root cause of which is a lack of oxygen. This factor has a significant effect on the work of the heart muscle, as a result of which the organ loses its previous performance.

Like any other disease, coronary artery disease is best prevented or treated early, rather than started. Therefore, it is very important to be able to identify the symptoms of this ailment.

Depending on the form of the disease, the symptoms of coronary heart disease will vary. Many people live with the disease for several years and do not even realize that their heart muscle is experiencing an acute lack of oxygen. If you visit massage chairs several times a week. you run in the morning, have a hearty lunch and dinner and do not feel discomfort in the heart area, then such ischemic disease is considered asymptomatic. In most cases, a person feels some pain in the region of the heart, but cannot understand what is the reason.

Do not think that the pain will be permanent. There are so-called peaks and valleys of coronary artery disease. This disease develops slowly, and the symptoms of the disease themselves can change over time. Sometimes it seems that the disease has receded, but in fact it began to develop along a different path.

The first symptoms of the disease may be back pain. Some people begin to feel pain in the left side of the jaw and in the left arm. If you begin to notice a rapid heartbeat and excessive sweating, then you should see a doctor. The most common symptom of the disease is pain in the left side of the chest. You may not even be able to use the massager. because you will feel his touch incredibly strong. With overexcitation or heavy exertion, a patient with ischemic disease develops shortness of breath.

There is a so-called arrhythmic form of ischemic disease, in which a person has a change in the frequency of contraction of the heart muscle. Atrial fibrillation is the most popular in this form of the disease. At the same time, interruptions in the heart, at the same time, people sometimes hardly feel and for a long time do not pay attention to them. All the symptoms that we have cited above are typical for a disease of moderate severity. If a person has an ailment, then oxygen starvation will cause not only severe pain in the area of ​​the heart, but can also lead to myocardial infarction.

In the latter case, the scary thing is that after a heart attack, part of the heart muscle cells die off and it is impossible to restore them.