Heart pause

[nikita7]

How long does a heart pause normally last? When is it becoming dangerous?

I always experience very long pauses and they make me feel lightheaded. My doctor said they are still within normal range but I forgot to ask what is a normal range.

[jeanjeannie50]

Hi Nikita - As you have not had any responses I'm guessing that no one on this site has an answer to your question. From what I can recall I think my doctor said it would not be good for the heart rate to go lower than 40 beats per minute.

Jean

[Pita]

I now have a duel pacemaker inserted since 2012 due to long pauses, heart stopping and blacking out and slow heart rate.. I think they class between 1 to 4 secs as normal range. My longest pause was 14 seconds and i blacked out in the shower when this happened. At the time i had a reveal device inserted which was lucky. Like you i suffered many many pauses some short some long and most of the long pauses i blacked out. The duel pacemaker now kicks in when i have these pauses and when the heart decides it wants to stop. I hope this helps.

[CDreamer]

1-4 secs sounds about right. Hubbie had Brady/tachycardia and pauses of up to 9 seconds - pacemaker fitted in 2014 cured the problem. I think I believe the cardiologist said any pauses of over 5 seconds would require investigation & monitoring.

[Buffafly]

I had pauses of 3 to 5 seconds recorded and was given choice of ablation for AF and Flutter (so I could stop meds if successful) or pacemaker. Luckily the ablation has been successful so far.

[nikita7]

Thank you so much for your replies. The feeling of those pauses is really so unpleasant and scary.

[Hidden]

Hello Nikita, when I first started having palpitations, it was the heart pauses that worried me the most as I thought my heart was missing a beat. They usually lasted up to 3 seconds - no more, and I do understand your concerns if yours are longer than that, but reading some of the replies on here should put your mind at rest .

[PeterWh]

It is really irrelevant what the normal range is. The reality is what it does to or for each individual. In your case the fact that it is making you light headed means that it should be investigated further.

After all some people's normal HB is 60 and others is 100 but both would considered within range. As my GP rightly pointed out on one occasion when my HR was circa 120 that my heart was beaten twice as fast as normal whereas someone's who normal HR was 100 then heart would only be beating 20% faster!!!!

Anyway after 30 mins mine had dropped so she didn't need to call an ambulance as she had threatened.

Looking through the posts above some are missing the point that there are two completely different parameters at play here. (1) The actual gap inbetween two consecutive beats and (2) the average HR over say 1 minute for ease. So someone could be having a 5 or 6 second gap between one or two different pairs of beats but over a minute their HR could be in the 60s or possibly 70s.

I only twigged about a range impact / effect a few months ago. I then started noting the range each time I took nun recording (2 minutes long each time) using my Kardia AliveCor. This proved very interesting because HR may be an average of say 80 over that 2 mins but the AliveCor could be showing that the range was say 55 to 120. I only do regular daily recordings am and pm (don't remember every day) after having been sitting for 10 to 30 mins so that demonstrates how erratic my HR is!!!

[PeterWh in reply to PeterWh]

PS. I would get it checked and investigated further as you are experiencing faintness.

[rosyG]

you don't say which doctor this is- I think a cardiologist is needed to take a view on the length of your stops

[PeterWh in reply to rosyG]

I had presumed that sheeant her GP had said that.

Personally I think she should go and see an EP.

[rosyG in reply to PeterWh]

possibly but cardiologists are good for knowing whether pacemakers are appropriate- danger from long pauses needs priority perhaps?

[PeterWh in reply to rosyG]

Most if not all EPs have dealings with and many for them. The advantage of seeing an EP is their wider experience in dealing with people in AF and pacemakers. They may also pick up additional arrythmia due to their specialisms.

[rosyG]

I went straight to an EP- one of the top ones- but found other things were missed out as I wasn't at the point where ablation was appropriate- I think sometimes both opinions are needed and I know our local cardiologists are very good at diagnosing all sorts of arrhythmias and other cardiac problems- we organise local screening events and I have seen them in action- definitely found they were very good at my pauses!!

[Buffafly in reply to rosyG]

I think it is OK to see a cardiologist first especially if you have a good one! Mine is excellent and my EP performed my ablation on his say-so without even seeing me which was handy because my EP is three hour's journey away. I also saw him for my post ablation checkup.

[PeterWh in reply to rosyG]

Agree fully - though getting a referral to both may be difficult or impossible.