Irregular Beats.

[talipia]

For many years I have had phases of ectopics which come and go. Recently after a few weeks of 3/4 per minute they suddenly accelerated to 10/12 per min..not nice. I ve only ever had a 24hrs holter ecg, and as many will experience, by the time you get the holder the irregulars have vanished. GP has prescribed a beta blocker( bisoprolol ) but nothing else,should I push for further investigation? No other symptoms but 69yrs clocked.

[jeanjeannie50]

Hi talipa, there is a forum on Health Unlocked just for people with heart arrhythmias, you may get more replies there:

healthunlocked.com/afassoci...

Jean

[DanniC88]

I take bisoprolol for the same problem. I had a 7 day holter back in 2019 which picked them up. Like you said 24 hours is ridiculous really given the fact they come and go randomly. Push for 7 day holter. I also had an echo and an MRI but to be honest im none the wiser after all these tests as to where they come from or why. Good luck my friend.

[talipia in reply to DanniC88]

Cheers Danni.one of life's many mysteries..And yes it seems no matter how many tests..no real answers except ££££'s going West. Take care and thanks for replying.

[bwiltshi]

I am a fairly active 70y old with 5 stents following heart attack (2016) and some residual mild angina on exercise. MRI suggests I have all manner of deteriorations of heart, consistent with my history, and I am described as having heart failure. I have always had v low resting pulseI 39 to 45. I had ectopic beats pre pandemic, they were around off and on most the time, but very noticeable at bedtime, which made me feel weird and anxious. I spoke to GP and he seemed unconcerned. Couldn't increase beta blockers due to low heart rate. However pandemic stopped me following a rigorous exercise regime; cycling, swimming, gym etc. This was replaced by walking perhaps 3 x 5miles per week. A few weeks in and I realised ectopics had stopped, never to return. I assumed that pushing myself to my angina limit with too much exercise was the problem. As such I have modified lifestyle to be active, to do everything as before pandemic, but much less rigorously and within my limits. The ectopics have stayed away.

[talipia in reply to bwiltshi]

Brilliant and well done,I think you certainly on the right track by moderation after what you ve been thru. Best wishes my friend and thanks for replying.

[wischo in reply to bwiltshi]

Same here, I am 72 with single left sided stent no heart attack. Heart rate bradycardia frequently and ectopics show on most stress tests. I am on 1.25mg Bisoprolol which keeps them at bay mostly. However when I have a really hard day physically or mentally the ectopics come back. I take another 1.25mg bisoprolol when they do occur although my cardiologist says he can not increase the dose due to the low heart rate 42-55BPM. This nearly always stops the ectopics but does make me a bit tired.

[Hidden]

With the caveat that I’m not medically qualified. Whilst they can be quite unpleasant, ectopics are only considered a problem in their own right if you have runs of three or more ventricular ectopics (premature ventricular contractions or PVCS to give them their proper name) without a normal beat in between, or if the daily burden of ectopics - be that PVCs and/or the atrial version - exceeds 10% of your total heartbeats. Assuming an average daily heart rate of 70bpm, that would be the equivalent of having around 10,000 ectopics a day. A 24 hour holter is quite short, so you could push for a longer period, but unless it reveals you meet one of the above criteria, nothing is likely to be done or change.

Have you looked into lifestyle changes? They don’t work for everyone, but there are a number of things that we medically know can trigger or increase ectopics for those susceptible. If you go into my profile and have a look at my past replies to others on the subject, there’s lots of information there: I have an arrhythmia that’s triggered by ectopics, and was having multiple episodes of said arrhythmia a month, sometimes a week. By making lifestyle changes, I reduced the number of ectopics I was having from several hundred a day to around a dozen, and haven’t had a single episode of arrhythmia in 7 years as a result. I still have to take medication, but I’m no longer worrying about winding up in A&E the way I used to on a daily basis.

[talipia in reply to Hidden]

Cheers Charlie much appreciate the comments and will read your other comments with interest.

[Henry20]

Hi Talipia

I read your post and it is very similar to mine with irregular beats. Mine come and go. First started in 2004 and initially there were long periods when all seemed ok - by long, I mean years. Now they come and go in weeks. I've tried to find out what triggers them without much success. Also, as we are all different, my experience may not have the same causes as as yours. (I'm over 70)

I'm not a medic in any way. So, you do need to rely on your doctors/consultants.

I got to the point where I bought a Kardia 6L, which with my smart phone (using a free app from Kardia) can record a ecg trace up to 5 mins long. It's a small device about 2 inches long. Its limited, but does show the ectopics I get. But I still have trouble capturing them!! But at least I get something to take to the doctor as you can get a printout as a pdf. There are pages for each recording in A4 format. I print 4 normal pages on a sheet of A4 to reduce the volume. Still very readable. (They aren't cheap, but at least I feel I am doing something to gather evidence. You don't need to sign up for their subscription service, I haven't). I also bought a small carrying case. Oh , BTW, one of the doctors in my practice uses them for quick on the spot measurements - he told me about it.

6 months ago I was investigated by a consultant. Yes, I have ectopics but the accepted wisdom seems to be that they are harmless. I just wonder if any cardiac consultant has actually experienced them - particularly when, like you, I get up to 20 in a minute. It just saps everything out of me. Anyway, no specific treatment offered but told to go back to GP if I need to. (Afib has been ruled out so far).

I too have a low heart rate and was offered beta blockers, and we had a very short discussion. I have taken them before and my heart rate refused to respond to activity very much and I queried the wisdom of me taking them. The suggestion was withdrawn.

So now, when ectopics occur in disturbing numbers, I just rest until they go away. While resting I think about what I have been doing, eating etc to try to find something that might be a trigger. They are declining at the moment. But they will be back.

Keep in touch with your GP. We may be totally different, your problems and mine are unlikely to to be the same. When worried, they are the only route to diagnosis and treatment, other than a ride in an ambulance - to be avoided!

Good luck, you're not alone

Henry

[talipia in reply to Henry20]

Thanks so much Henry. After 2 days on bisoprolol 2.5mg they calmed down to normal limits with no initial side affects from the drug. MýGp is a moving target,different every time but as you say keep talking is best. No idea what the triggers are although heat,alcohol first family returning down under this month played a part. Best wishes and thanks.

[anke123]

Hi I have a problem with ectopic beats but only recently more noticeable since I was told to come of bisoprolol as my BP was dropping to 86/46 and it made me feel awful. I am waiting for the results of a echocardiogram 2 weeks ago, the ectopic beats had been seen on ECG. Good to read the other comments but I can't give you advice. All the best.

[talipia in reply to anke123]

Hiya..yes it's interesting to other experiences..seems like its a bit of a Heinz57 situation...Stay well and thank you for your reply.

[wischo]

Read this on another post elsewhere but it works for me to some degree. When ectopics start take five really deep breaths-- then take a deep breath and hold it for as long as you can. Breath normally and repeat the deep breath and hold a few more times. Interested to hear how people get on with this. Let me know.

[talipia in reply to wischo]

Will give it a go..thanks again.

[anke123 in reply to wischo]

Hi I will have to give that a try, as I had a lot of problems this morning, could not finish the ironing. I seem to get it when I stand for an hour or even less.Phoned the hospital to ask for echocardiogram results and told it can be 6 to 8 weeks.

I did email the cardiology department and was told a letter about it is waiting to be done so I have wait and see. Feeling a bit fed up now.

[anke123 in reply to wischo]

Hi well I have given it a try and it did help, so thank you very much for that, I have already told someone else about it. Will have to to it quite often I think as I am waiting for the results, letter not come yet. Will look for more info as this is all new to me.