Irregular heartbeat, blood pressure

  I have 2 questions.  First, during a stress test, my doctor indicated I seemed to have an occasional skip of a heartbeat in my EKG.  I have no symptons from this or any awareness of it at all.  Is this something to be concerned with?  Secondly, my doctor also indicated that he felt my exercising blood pressure was too high.  My resting blood pressure is completely normal.  What is too high during exercise and what is normal?
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Dear Steve
There are no straightforward answers to your questions. The exact heart rhythm you developed during exercise is recorded. If you had abnormally long pauses between beats, that is not a usual response to exercise. It may indicate a problem with the conducting system of your heart, depending on the frequency and duration of the pauses.
Blood pressure is supposed to increase with exercise. Some people, especially people that are out of shape, have exaggerated blood pressure responses to exercise. Whether to treat or not depends on many factors, including resting blood pressure.
I hope this is useful. Feel free to write back. I wish you the best of luck.
If you would like to set up an appointment with one of our cardiologists here at the Cleveland Clinic please feel free to call 1-800-CCF-CARE.
Information provided in the Heart Forum is intended for general medical informational purposes only. Actual diagnosis and treatment of any particular medical condition can only be made by your physician(s).