quick question

[Dogluvr95]

hi all! I recently went to another cardiologist for a second opinion and she ran all the tests and deemed me “normal”, and stated that my ectopics are not anything to worry about. while that eases my anxiety, I still wish I knew the cause of them so I could prevent them because they happen so randomly and sporadically. I’ve just had a few laying in bed and I’ve noticed they happen when my heart rate is low. My resting hr is typically 48-60 bpm. So my question is, does anyone know if a low hr could be a cause? thanks!

[BobD Volunteer]

Ectopics are not anything wrong. They are normal for everybody. The problem is we lot notice and start obsessing which causes anxiety and exacerbates the problem. The slow deep breathing works for most people so not sure that low heart rate is reason.

[Dogluvr95 in reply to BobD]

Thanks Bob!

[Threecats]

Hi Dogluvr

Pleased to hear your tests didn’t pick up anything untoward. I did read somewhere that when the heart is beating more slowly it can allow more time between beats for the odd rogue signal to slip in. As Bob says, we are super sensitive to every little wobble. The main thing, as your cardiologist has said and Bob has confirmed, is that they are normal and harmless.

All the best to you, TC

[Hidden]

Hi,

Way back in late July/early August I took the decision (without consulting my GP or my surgery) to reduce my Bisoprolol dose from 7.5 mg to 5 mg. The reason ...... my HR was ( for me) far too low and I was having significantly disturbed sleep and other issues. My GP in January 2021 increased my Bisoprolol from 5 up to 7.5 to deal with blood pressure issues. All was well for the first 12 months but then from about February 2022 through to July my HR rate dropped to an overnight resting HR of 39 to 44 ish, sometimes up to 50. Daytime resting HR was around 58 to 62 ish.

I very, very slowly cut my Bisoprolol dose back to 5 mg taking around 4 to 5 weeks to do it. It worked a treat ........ my overnight resting HR is now around 55 to 58 and my daytime resting HR is now around 63 to 67 bpm .............. and I feel like superman again.

So I just wonder how 'normal' is normal from a GP's point of view.

John

[secondtry]

If memory serves the York cardiology guy has one of his many YouTube vids on this topic.

[Ppiman]

The web page below, I find to be exemplary in its explanation of ectopy (which is what you and I have). You'll read how common this is and how, in an otherwise normal heart, how harmless it is. That said, when I have long periods of these (a few hours), and if accompanied by mild racing heart, they feel, to me, much the same as atrial fibrillation does, which I get only very occasionally - and it's a struggle to ignore them. On those occasions, I take a low dose of bisoprolol (1.25mg) which, after maybe an hour, calms the heart (and me!) sufficiently well.

medpagetoday.com/opinion/sk...

Steve

[Shcldavies]

Yes, similar to my condition. Your heart is a fantastic bit of kit, its so good that even the top experts know just a fraction of what it does. One backup system our hearts have is when the node which dictates our heart rate does not work properly eg is too slow, other areas of your heart will compensate and provide an electrical signal to keep you heart going. Very basically (and oversimplifying) your heart has 2 types of cells muscle cells and signal cells, your muscle cells can, when prompted, temporally turn into a signal cell but this signal is not from the usual place - SA node, its from another part of your heart or multiple parts of your heart (all signals are generated by movement of your electrolyte ions and having the right electrolyte balance can be essential for this to work properly). Ectopics and short bursts of high heart rate can be caused by you SA node running slow and triggering this back up device that is designed in your heart. Sometimes when this is triggered it can continue longer than necessary, agin possibly an effect of poor electrolyte balance or many other abnormalities.

A few years ago I replaced my old boiler, it was working fine but very old and without the safety features of a modern boiler. The guy replacing the boiler said/warned that we were likely doing the right thing but the new boiler with all its backup/safety mechanisms designed in would be far less reliable as the complexity of the safety mechanisms would not be so reliable and cut out the boiler for no good reason - this has in deed proved be right. This is much like our hearts, they can be very robust in themselves but the back up mechanisms may not be so robust and require far more exacting input from the rest of your body or the food and water we take.

[etheral]

Wish my boiler tech was as knowledgeable about my new Viessman boiler as my medical team is about my heart. The numerous times it stopped working, he would've end up consulting the manual and another tech and after he got it working again say, "it's a European thing, We managed to bypass it..In any case, I hope I didn't jinx myself, as my cardiac condition has been stable for years now 😉

[Quest4NSR]

When we relax and near sleep our hearts go into 'hibernation mode' and that's when the rogue spots on our heart 'comes out to play' firing off electrical signals and causes these 'extra beats'. This is why they come when at most relaxed and in the lower heart rate range.

[Gezp]

I have been wondering the same. My ectopics come and go. Sometimes have them for weeks/months then they disappear for a while then back again. When I have them, I can guarantee that they start when I lie down or am resting when my heart rate also goes down to 55-65, and are far lee frequent when moving around. What I'd also like to know is whether they are more prevalent in people AF or more specifically PAF

[Blondie12345 in reply to Gezp]

im having these symptoms too. Have you spoke to a GP for yours?

[Gezp in reply to Blondie12345]

No, my cardiologist like others on this thread said they are harmless and nothing to worry about, so I don't. Would just like to know more about whether there is a relationship with AF.

[Britishgas]

Hi I was diagnosed with ectopics almost 3 years ago and told they are nothing to worry about. I have been given Bisoprolol but my pulse hardly ever goes above 50 so they made me so unwell and was told to stop taking them. Mine start with pains in my abdomen then a feeling of pressure on the top of my head then the ectopics start ( don’t know if these feelings are anything to do with the ectopics) So all I can say is that I have seen 3 different cardiologists and not one of them have said that low pulse is the cause. Sorry I can’t be of any help