Palpitations are structural or electrical?

Hi! Question: Are all palpitations caused by an electrical issue and are seen on an event monitor? How can I feel palpitations and big thumps occasionally and when I hit "record" on my monitor they tell me they don't see anything? Can it be a structural issue? I am asking for an ECHO to follow-up on MVP that they found 7 years ago and no one ever told me it needed followed-up on. I am not sure if they will do one, not sure if I need to really advocate for myself to have it done.....So why can I feel palpitations and have them not show on a monitor?

[kenkeith]

Palpitations usually occur when something disrupts the normal electrical activity or function of the heart. They may be felt when the heart is beating quickly, slowly, or irregularly (an arrhythmia) or when the heart is contracting more forcefully than usual. Sometimes, palpitations occur for unknown reasons in people with no evidence of heart disease or arrhythmias.

If palpitations occur during a test it should have been recorded.

Often MVP is asymptomatic but those who do have symptoms, palpitations (strong or rapid heartbeats) are reported most often.

[joanincarolina]

I've had palpitations (PVCs-premature ventricular contractions)for years that were benign and did not show got on any ekg. Treated as they became a nuisance to me with Inderal with success, but no technology to document them, just my statements. They changed in quality a few years back and became very frequent. No ekg or multiple event monitors caught them, even when I reported them on the associated time diary.I have no structural heart problems and had nothing to go by with an assumption of an electrical problem.Eventually, it was found to be from hypoxic events from the smaller vessels of the heart. Hypoxia, can affect the muscle of the heart by affecting both the electrical system and the rhythm of the heart. I've had chest pain on two occasions, with PVCs, in a hospital setting and the constant ekg monitoring did not pick them up. Even when I asked the nurses to run a strip to document, nothing showed. And I'm a nurse. Just keep watching them for changes. Joan.

[kenkeith]

Usually a thump you describe is followed by arrhythmia.  You are not recording any irregular rhythm which is an electrical impulse problem...but aortic insufficiency or stenosis, atrial or ventricular septal defect, congestive heart failure, cardiomyopathy, and congenital heart disease can be the underlying cause and can predispose you to the symptom you are experiencing.  You need further testing to rule out those conditions.

"Palpitations are a subjective feeling that a patient may have with or without arrhythmia. Arrhythmia is an objective occurence that can be seen/assessed by others either by feeling a pulse, looking at heart monitor etc.
While palpitations often accompany certain arrhythmias, they can occur without arrhythmia too." That may explain not seeing any abnormal output.

[myboysrock000]

Thank you guys, at least it helps to know that I am not imagining them....

[kay2486]

how do tell the difference between pvc and pac? are pvcs dangerous, im getting confused now,   some say continuous pvcs are dangerous? im an anxiety sufferer please help