Ectopic beats

[djbgatekeeper]

I thought this youtube clip on how to manage ectopic beats might be helpful if you are suffering from them.

youtu.be/vLTpv4bd9pI(Not working as expected?)

[faridaro]

Another great presentation from Dr. Gupta - thanks for sharing!

[jeanjeannie50]

An interesting and informative presentation. Sanjay Gupta is a favourite of ours on this forum. Thank you for posting.

[JaneFinn]

Thank you!

[jeanjeannie50]

Baraba, my friend - Did you really listen to all of the presentation!!! Watch again.

Jean

[jeanjeannie50]

He is saying that being stressed and worried about AF will make the episode last longer and that's true. I think he's trying to convey to us the power of our minds and how it can have an effect on AF.

I once wanted to go walking with a friend and the morning of it my heart went into AF, the attacks would always last at least 4 hours. I went, forgot about my AF and did a hilly coastal walk - power of my mind. Also, just about every time I go to see my cardiologist or EP I'll feel well - I feel safe - power of the mind. Wear a heart monitor from the hospital and that week I'll feel so well, honestly I could climb mountains - power of my mind - I feel safe.

I don't know how long you've had AF, but I've had it for 13 years. At the start, it scared the life out of me and sometimes my heart thudded so hard in my chest, I thought I may well die. Some forum members never experience it that bad and have no idea what that type of episode is like. The episodes of AF for each of us can be totally different, some have it bad and others don't. I know others get worse attacks than me, but the ones I have are all I know. If I had AF years ago as I do now I would wonder what people were making a fuss about.

Now 13 years down the line, AF doesn't frighten me as it used to and so I feel I no longer get the really scary episodes, I don't feed them with my fear. As I said it's all down to the power of the mind and that's what S Gupta is trying to tell people.

[jeanjeannie50]

He tells us he has spoken to thousands of people with AF and this is what he has noticed. He's an expert! Some people with anxiety let it spoil their lives. He's trying to reassure them and to my mind is giving good advice.

[NCMH1970]

I agree ! I can be minding my own business and having an ordinary morning and boom! The ectopic beats take over - I don’t indulge that feeling and nothing I do or don’t do will get it to go - I have tried breathing , walking, sleeping, ignoring or sometimes waiting for it to pass ! But it’s NOT alwAys mind over matter - it’s a physical presence that seems to have to run its course - for better or for worse it’s a difficult thing 😩

[jeanjeannie50 in reply to NCMH1970]

Does the fear you get when your ectopics start make them worse?

[jeanjeannie50]

I certainly agree with you about having to be your own doctor.

[Janshep]

Excellent as always

[12cupcakes]

Thank you for sharing.

[doodle68]

For those who are not aware, Dr Gupta holds regular AF questions and answer sessions on his own FB page and the Heart Health page, this is the latest session

facebook.com/HeartHealthWee...

I listened last night and now know according to the European Society of Cardiology it is possible in many instances to have a tooth extracted without stopping taking NOACS.

[ILowe]

I agree. Irregularities have a necessary biological role, and are normal in the healthy heart. See my thread healthunlocked.com/afassoci.... In addition, look at what happens in sleep. I have sometimes gone to sleep with a lovely calm steady beat and woken up with faster rate, sometimes with, sometimes without irregularities, and I have wondered, is this AF therefore I need to act, or is it normal and it will stop?

I too suspect that bisoprolol can trigger AF because the HR is too low.

When given high dose Amiodarone as PIP in hospital I actually saw AF fixed then triggered. At first, the Amiodarone bolus brought me down from 150 irregular, to 70 regular, then as the rate descended to less than 50 the irregularities kicked in, and the tussle continued until I was back to square one. The next bolus was smaller, given in daytime, and I was sent home and stayed active so that the HR was not allowed to descend too much.

[Charmn]

Wonderful and enlightening video

[ILowe]

That is also a helpful approach -- to see a robust system as capable of carrying mistakes. It is certainly one more element to add to that discussion.

I am still inwardly convinced there are good reasons for irregularities. I know from the history of science that many times, you only see if you look, or if you ask the right question. So, we only see the benefits of ectopics if we look for them. Turbulent irregular water swirls in the toilet for instance have a greater effect than non-turbulent. Irregular rough pavements strengthen the knees as I know to my considerable benefit, despite a broken arm!! Crucially, variety implies rest and recovery and training in view of higher performance later. Or, could irregularities be a repair mechanism, needed more in older people? Therefore we over-medicate to our peril.

[ILowe]

Some of my hypotheses are testable and I need to look. if I think irregs are normal, then they will be normal in healthy individuals, and in healthy young people. The trouble is, these things are usually only recorded in unhealthy individuals, which then leads to the chicken/egg problem. But, I need to look into sleep studies since these have been done on healthy individuals, or in individuals where they are not focusing on a heart problem.

My current thinking is that a certain amount of irregs is normal, at several levels, and this is where an engineer/physics expert needs to comment. I am thinking of possible benefits of occasional turbulence. I am thinking of the way that regular pressure becomes a strain, and brief variety makes it easier to go back to regular. I am thinking of the way chaotic systems work, with return to stability. This is in addition to biology: they are an important factor in heart muscle health. They serve as a balance to heart rate, rather like the parasympathetic vs sympathetic system.

[CoalmineCanary]

Not buying it. I am not extremely fearful and I exercise a lot. I just did a 12 mile bike ride in a little over an hour last night. Felt great and did great. . .but this morning I had a lot of annoying ectopics. I am not scared of them but I hate them. They make me cough as a reflex to the skipped beat.