heart sounds palpatations

[yramesor13]

I am 56 and for the past year have had a rapid heartbeat after climbing stairs, doing yardwork etc.  Within a minute it normalizes, but what concerns me is the rapid beat is accompanied by a strange internal sensation of vibrations in the chest area, which do not correspond to the beats.  It's a really weird feeling. What could it be?
My doctor had me wear a halter monitor for 24 hours.  It showed 6 extra beats per minute a couple of times. I'm not aware of the extra beats. He said I could take medication, but it would have side effects. He didn't think it was necessary.
Two years prior I had a stress test and an echo cardiogram and everything was fine.  I was not having these symptoms at that time.  My mother and her father died of heart attacks in their early seventies.  Should I be concerned?  My cholesterol is 200, and blood pressure is normal.

[Cleveland Clinic]

yramesor13,

thanks for the post.

It really depends on what your rhythm is while you are having your symptoms.  An even monitor would occur the your hearts rhythm while you are experiencing symptoms.

If you had the symptoms while you were wearing your holter, and the rest of your cardiac work up is normal then your symptoms are probably more a matter of conditioning or lung physiology.

good luck

[arthur]

vibrations in the chest area...in the center, front or back?
peruse the archives under vibrations
They don't all necessarily stem from premature contractions...they can be generated by electrical cardic tissue known as foci, normally never felt by most people.

-Arthur

[Jeff-67]

Just curious (I get the vibration sometimes), how long does your vibration last per PAC?

[WPWGuy]

You said that you are not aware of the beats that the doctor noticed in your halter data, but I gather that you do feel the vibration sensation, otherwise you wouldn't be asking about it.  

Was the recorder on when you felt the vibrations, and did you note the time and date so that you could look back through the data, and verify that there was nothing electrical going on when you were experiencing symptoms?  Did you ask the doctor to show you the data for the exact time that you felt the vibrations?  If not, I suggest getting a monitor again.  

By the way, I dont know if you are aware of the different types of monitors.  Some recorders continuously buffer 30-45 seconds worth of rythm data into memory.  On these, when you push the button, that information, plus an additional 15-30 seconds are put into a more "permament" storage area for future download. Instead of those, there is also something called a "24 hour halter" which records all data over 24 hours.  That is quite a lot of data, so it is especially important that the device be stamping the right time on the data, and that you keep good track of when you experienced symptoms.

Good luck.

[WPWGuy]

Almost forgot.  The beauty of using the type that buffer data and store it when you push the button is that you can save just what you feel and download the info to your doctors PC (usually over the telephone) once the recorder is full.  If you do not regularly experience your sypmtoms,  the doc can prescribe a recorder for one or two weeks, or more, if necessary.  That gives you more opportunity to "catch" your vibrations on the recorder.

[arthur]

Vibrations certainly can be felt when a valve vibrates as it prolapses.

The vibration I refer to is constant, and is not related to premature beats (proven by monitors).  It's intensity can increase with sudden exertion, and such intensity persists for 5-15 minutes after exertion. Interestingly, with increased vibration intensity, there is often an increase in premature beat production.

There is no other explanation for the vibration except a curious ability for nearby nervous systems to pick up and amplify a focal area of the heart.

One other thing I've noticed is that with a lower level of anxiety, the vibration feeling is quelled as well.  Clearly, this is a classic response of a focus to adrenaline.

-Arthur

[yramesor13]

Thanks for all your repsonses.  Everytime I've tried to do a normal search on google, I get sites about meditative religious experiences, so I thought no one experienced this feeling associated with a rapid heart beat.

They are in the front of the chest.

When I wore the monitor, I went up and down stairs over and over many different times during the day to replicate the "vibrating" sensation, and it only recorded two episodes of six extra beats a minute.  I remember the physician mentioning the word atrial something.

One the heart beats faster, the vibrations set in, but don't come and go with each beat.  They last continuously for about a minute.  Then the heart returns to its normal pace and they stop. I do have mitral valve prolaspe which I forgot to mention before.

[karie]

How often should patients who have chronic symptoms have holter monitors, king of hearts or cardio-beepers ?
I have a echocardiogram every 3 years and a tilt table only once. The stethoscope exam for rating heart murmurs yearly.
Pvc's, Pac's one is a stronger sensation.
Don't want to ever have a EP study , Wish the American Heart Association could do some clinical studies with better tests for patients similar.