Sinus Rhythm with Supraventricular Ectopy?

[GrannyE]

Have been living with constant A/f for quite a while now but have had two readings on my Kardia which say I have sinus Rhythm with Supraventricular Ectopy. What is the difference between that and A/F? Looks pretty well like A/F on the graph to me. Is it better or worse? I would be grateful for any enlightenment. Thanks

[BobD Volunteer]

AF is a chaotic non rhythm and ectopics are extra beats popped in to normal rhythm .Supraventricular just means they are coming from above the ventricle ie from the atrium. Ectopcis are generally considered benign though I agree they are a damned nuisance.

[GrannyE in reply to BobD]

Thank you Bob. What is the difference then between Supraventricular, coming from the atrium,and the usual A/F? Back into my usual A/Fib of course.

[BobD Volunteer in reply to GrannyE]

With AF the atrium doesn't contract in a regular manner pushing blood down to the ventricle to be pumped round your body, it writhes' like a bag of worms. Ectopic means out of place or time so if your atrium whilst pumping normally (not in AF) suddenly pops and extra one in (ectopic beat) the next one will be late so the ventricle will not have anything to pump and it feels like a missed beat.

[GrannyE in reply to BobD]

Thank you. Nice to know then that I had a short time without the a/f merely my usual Ectopcis. I have managed to get my bp down to normal by using lots of essential oil of lavender on my wrists and breathing it so maybe it is helping the a/F as well. You never know my heart just may decide to go back into sinus rhythm now and then. That would be good.

[cuore in reply to GrannyE]

"Essential oil of lavender on your wrist and breathing it' got your blood pressure down to normal? What was your blood pressure before the application of the oil and how many times daily did you have to use the technique? Certainly sounds worth trying.

[GrannyE in reply to cuore]

I have been doing a number of things for quite a while now. Diet. Supplements and essential oils and have not taken a bp pill for quite a while. My BP has at times been sky high sometimes over 180 and a few times over 190 or even 220. Had been on bp pills for 20 years. You have to use a ‘good’ organic essential oil. I use them approx 3 times a day. I sit quietly trying to think beautiful thoughts possibly looking out of the window at my lovely garden and breathe in the lavender oil slowly and out slowly, ditto with my olbas oil, and tea tree oil and then put the lavender oil on my inner wrists. I don’t hurry the proceedings. This morning my bp was 111/65. It goes up during the day of course but by dint of using the lavender oil, breathing and on wrists, I can keep my bp well below 140. If I find it is going up I just put more oil on and wait 15mins and it is back down again.It has taken me months to get here and only hope it continues. My GP has left my bp meds on repeat prescription for me ‘just in case’ but I don’t use them now.

[cuore in reply to GrannyE]

Just so I get the technique to try it, you use four oils in all: 1. lavender oil

2. olbas oil

3. tea tree oil

4. lavender oil

The first three you breath slowly in and slowly out; the lavender you place on your inner wrists. You do this procedure three times a day. You don't "hurry the proceedings" which could mean if you spend 15 minutes with each oil would be 45 minutes repeated three times . That would lead to 2 hours 15 minutes. So maybe you spend 15 minutes a session which would mean the total would be 45 minutes a day. That's a real commitment, but worth it with the results you get. Thanks for sharing.

[GrannyE in reply to cuore]

Not as lengthy as that. The most important oil for me is the lavender oil. I breathe it in and out slowly, takes about 5mins and put it on my inner wrists when I feel I need it. 15mins later my bps back down and it does this every time. I do this approx 3 times a day. I breathe the other oils morning and night which I think help keep harmful bacteria and possibly virus in check and cannot do any harm.Good luck to you. I feel so much better not being on bp pills anymore

[cuore in reply to GrannyE]

Thank you so much for the explanation. I am certainly going to try it.

[GrannyE in reply to cuore]

Good luck. Hope it works for you. It cannot do any harm at least.

[Karendeena in reply to BobD]

BobD I get confused whether I am having ectopic or afib....I feel a fluttering of some sort and when I take my pulse it seem to be in NSR and then does a quick couple of bests then seems to miss a beat. I fell these but they don't feel the same as when I have a fu blown afib episode. Could these be ectopic I'm feeling do you think?

[BobD Volunteer in reply to Karendeena]

Sounds probable.

[GrannyE in reply to BobD]

Forgot to say Happy Easter.

[Pigleywigley]

Dr Gupta has a really great video on this on YouTube I found it very helpful m.youtube.com/watch?v=Uyz8o...(Not working as expected?)

[Hidden]

In sinus rhythm each QRS has a small p-wave in front which looks like a hump back bridge. For me ectopics are more uncomfortable.

[GrannyE in reply to Hidden]

I agree Ectopcis are not good but luckily my ablation got rid of the worst ones.

[Ppiman]

I have ectopic beats and my cardiologist explained that they are most often an entirely safe arrhythmia that most people have to some degree. They arise, however, in the same place as does atrial fibrillation, which is near to the entrance of the four pulmonary veins in the left aorta, bringing the possibility of a link between the two in some people.

Steve

[Vonnegut in reply to Ppiman]

That’s a comfort to read during my first experience of it! I have paroxysmal AF but don’t think I’ve had one like this before and hope it settles soon.

[Ppiman in reply to Vonnegut]

For me, the feeling that these SV beats cause (they are also called PACs - although I have far more PVCs) isn’t always much different from the feeling AF causes. That’s my experience of them. The heart rate seems to be the deciding factor. When my AF occurs with a low-ish heart rate of 80-120bpm, I feel relatively fine; recently it’s been 150-180 and then it becomes much harder to deal with calmly.

Steve

[Vonnegut in reply to Ppiman]

Wow! How different we all are! But we know that already! My heart went into AF so I’ve taken an additional flecainide pill ( the dosage I take is supposed to stop AF occurring but as it hasn’t, a PIP might help.

[Ppiman in reply to Vonnegut]

I can’t take flecainide for some reason so I rely on bisoprolol. It does the trick but is slow to act.

Steve

[Vonnegut in reply to Ppiman]

But, my heart went into AF after I’d taken the bisoprolol as my heart rate with the new thing was 83. Then it went up to 93 and then AF! What fun the Kardia is!!!! Not such a nice companion after all but guess it’s better to know what’s going on (even if the drugs no longer seem to work as they are supposed to!)

[Ppiman in reply to Vonnegut]

I got cross at having to pay a tenner a month for the Kardia “advanced determinations” and stopped it, but I’m back to paying them again at present as my AF has flared up and at a faster heart rate.

Steve

[Vonnegut in reply to Ppiman]

Oh dear! I bought mine (on the second one now) as that was how they came when I acquired mine- I only use it when I have episodes of weird things. Do they not have the option to pay for it in full any more? I’m not sure what the “advanced determinations” are but I was given something extra quite a while back for alerting them to something that had gone wrong or something! Now mine is having “sinus rhythm with supraventricular ectopy” again! Apparently, it’s not harmful but feels weird.

[Ppiman in reply to Vonnegut]

You seem to have the “advanced” one there if that’s what it reads. Those are a form of ectopic beat. They occur when the ordinary heart cells start acting like pacemaker cells, I gather, and set off an extra beat earlier than the normal (NSR) beat. They cause me to feel a”thump”. They aren’t harmful all else being equal but it might be worth asking your doctor.

Steve

[Vonnegut in reply to Ppiman]

I have sent a message to the surgery on the nhs app but don’t think I’ll hear back from them. Sadly, after having several great doctors during the first part of my life, the surgery we are with now are not that great - just when I’m old and need them but I am in what I call the bonus years, being 79 and did very well until the last five!

[Ppiman in reply to Vonnegut]

You’re ten years ahead of me. Mind you I often feel like I’m ten years older!! 😳😉

Steve

[Vonnegut in reply to Ppiman]

Like that Steve- and my heart is still giving a selection of unclassified and ectopic readings but it might have returned to normal again now so shall check, Sandi

[Vonnegut in reply to Vonnegut]

Later yesterday I got an “unclassified” reading so I took up the offer to pay the £9.99 for an opinion and guess what? It was atrial fibrillation which the Kardia is supposed to recognise and with an explanation of what it is! I only bought the thing on the advice of an electrophysiologist who didn’t believe I had it at first and mostly use it to check on episodes of AF as I have paroxysmal AF- Very disappointing! I shan’t be asking for further explanations of “unclassified” in future!

[Bennera513]

This diagnosis represents a new capability of the Kardia app. It will now distinguish Afib from Ventricular and Atrial Ectopy. I personally love this new feature as I spend most of my time with ectopics but when they get real bad I have trouble differentiating between Sinus Rhythm and Afib. The key point is that with the Kardia diagnosed Ectopy, you are in Sinus Rhythm. The sinus node is still in control, though pre-empted by rogue beats out of time. The sinus node picks up again next beat and all is good, until the next ectopic of course....I agree with others remarks. A bad "storm" of ectopics can feel as bad or worse than a robust case of A-fib. Hemodynamically I suspect there's more disruption to missed beats along with the fact that you are switching from 'normal' to missed beats, whereas with Afib there's an opportunity to get used to the irregular rhythm....?

[Alphakiwi in reply to Bennera513]

What exactly do these ectopic beats feel like. I get a good thump in my chest accompanied by an involuntary sucking in of air a few times each day. Iv had that 8 yrs now. This eventually led to atypical atrial flutter. Recently the uneven rythm dissapeared and now in sinus rythm but still have all the other effects that go with aflutter

[Bennera513 in reply to Alphakiwi]

Sounds like we can always count on change or progression in some shape or fashion. In your case sounds like everything is better, just still symptomatic? My ectopics are like a really strong 'blip' or hiccup that I feel in the neck, then a pause and a telling follow up beat with extra blood volume that is unmistakable next to the following normal beat. Kind of a 'hic',.....quiet,.....'Kaboom'. The compensatory beat is the one I notice the most, the 'hic' is the premature beat and isn't painful or that remarkable. It's when they conspire into couplets and bigeminy (every other normal beat) that I start to feel a flushing and full sensation in the chest area. That's uncomfortable. Honestly though it's much ado about nothing but I find it hard to ignore them and the resulting anxiety.

[GrannyE in reply to Bennera513]

Of course you are thrown. Anyone would be. B fore my ablation if I were on my left side in bed the irregular thumps felt as if they were lifting me off the bed. Back in af all the time now. Irregular thumps are most disconcerting and bothersome. I sm so sorry

[GrannyE in reply to Alphakiwi]

You can really feel them in the heart area and can be difficult to ignore esp when quiet and trying to sleep. Be grateful you are in sinus rhythm.

[Alphakiwi in reply to GrannyE]

Thankyou Granny. Im enjoying life for sure now the arrythia has gone, even if its tempory.

[GrannyE in reply to Alphakiwi]

Carpe diem. Enjoy it while you can and maybe it is not temporary. Think positive

[Ppiman in reply to Bennera513]

You describe my own feelings and experience perfectly. When I get a high heart rate with my AF (150-180bpm), it is quite unpleasant and hard to cope with, whereas my ectopics accompany a normal heart rate, or just slightly racing (85-120bpm).

Steve

[Vonnegut in reply to Bennera513]

Felt I should report my heart is back to normal again with a biso and a flec after it’s new experiences! So only lasted a couple of hours altogether.

[Vonnegut in reply to Bennera513]

I tried to “like “ your comment but the heart thing is having trouble counting so that when I pressed “like” , the 2 changed to 1 instead of going to 3!

[GrannyE]

Thank you. I must admit that I was a bit thrown by the Kardia cos I had not seen that diagnosis before. I am now back in A/Fib with lots of missed beats but at least they are not the strong nasty thumps that I had before the ablation. You never know if the sinus node is in control from time to time even with ectopic that is probably good news? Dunno.Anyway hope you are having a Happy Easter.

[Alphakiwi]

I do lnow that sinus rythm is an even heart beat Af normally is an uneven and horrible rythm.

[Vonnegut]

I just got a reading of this- just resting watching the snooker when felt my heart was weird, checked my pulse which was also weird, so used the Kardia and found it was this with a heart rate of 83 which is fast for testing! Yours was the first post so I’m replying to you before I read the others and wishing you well- us grannies must stick together!