Could skipped beats be Brugada Syndrome or some other Sodium Ion channelpathies??

[cookienkikin]

I'm a 24 yr old male, otherwise healthy. I have been having left side chest pain for about 3 years now, and I also have skipped heartbeat feelings all the time in my throat and in my chest. I've had MANY of ekg's, holter monitors, event monitors, echocardiograms, and blood work. All normal besides, PVC's and PAC's, and SVT. I was just reviewing some past ekg's and I was looking at one i had done on 12-22-07 and on that EKG is says on the computer read out, sinus tachycardia, right atrial enlargement, borderline ecg, when compared with ECG of 09-13-06- ST no longer elevated in Inferior Leads. Now this makes me really scared because I know that the ST elevation in the inferior leads is a sign of Brugada syndrome, which can cause a dangereous arrythmia. Shouldn't the Doc's have said something about this??? As far as I know this is the only ECG that has said that, could it be a false reading? Does my symptoms fit that such as Brugada syndrome??? I'm really scared about this now. What could all the computer print out have meant?  I also have everyday left side chest pain, and have been woken up many of times while asleep with the left side chest pain, shortness of breath, and pounding heart and irregular heartbeat, "feels like the feeling when you get pulled over by a cop, or if someone was hiding and jumped out and scared the heck out of you, that feeling you feel in your chest, thats how I feel when I wake up in the middle of the night with it".  What could that be??  Could all this be Brugada syndrome, or some other syndrome that leads to SCD???  I'm wondering how normal can these skipped beats and pvc's, pac's, and svt, can really be???  It just dont seem like its a normal occurance and there has to be some underlying condition thats causing this that needs to be treated to prevent V-Tach or V-Fibb, which is deadly.   Please help, Im going crazy!!!!

[cookienkikin]

anybody??????????????????

[PikaPika88]

Hi, I'm sure I can't help you much but I can share what I understand/experience with you.  ST elevation could be MI as well.  As wpw also can find ST elevation on the ECG which is NOT MI case.  

My stress test was written by a doctor stated Brugada variant.  Told me to see a rhythm doctor.  As the ECG automatic diagnoses, it printed about 6 possibilities.  The doctor crossed out one by one.....  End up with his own writing.  I was told the ECG usually spitting out are not reliable.  

After the treadmill stress test, during the second stage recovery, my heart was beating few beats then stopped.  Pacemaker kicked then it's beating again ......  about 4 beats, sometime 6 beats, sometime 7 beats it stopped then the pacer kicks in.  Continue like that for a little while.... I show my ECG to a nurse, I asked were they pac or pvc or skip beats?  She said it is definately not because it got no P waves.   She said don't know what it calls.  Ask my cardiologist.  One day, I brought that stack of ECG and ask my EP.  He read that ECG to me.  He told me my heart ...... beat beat beat beat stop then beat ..... then stop..... What it calls?  It calls "STOP".  It is pretty normal.  

I also got ST elevation in V1 and bundle branch block on the ECG during the stress test.  I think the patient with Brugada Syndrome also can be found right bundle branch block on ECG as well.  Although I match the criteria but I didn't have Brugada Syndrome.  Take care.

[cookienkikin]

so could the computer print out have been an error?? I've had MULTIPLE ECG's and thats the only one that stated the ST elevation, or could it have been going on only at that time and coincendentally caught it???  

[jj1017]

From my experience its not unusual to have normal ECG's one time, and another one show up abnormal. Some conditions are not always caught on ECG's because your arrhythmia is "inactive" at that time..thats just my experience though (I had WPW) Has your Dr. suggested a 24 hour holter or a 30 day loop recorder? With the loop (event) monitor, you can wear it all day and push a button to record any symptoms. It worked well for me since my arrhythmia would go into hiding for a few days.

[cookienkikin]

yes, i wore holter monitors, and 2 event recorders, with just pvc's, pac's, and svt

[PikaPika88]

As JJ1017 said, ECG only caught the events happen right in that few seconds when you've the ECG done.  When 1 was 6 yrs old, my svt only happened once a year until 14.  During the svt, I saw the family doctor.  He said it is something very wrong then he refered me to a cardiologist.  I'd seen this cardiologist, did an ECG (1982 this is my first ECG).  He told us and wrote to the family doctor, it was a perfect normal ECG.  My family doctor didn't accept it but had to believe what he said.  Pushed me to do all the physical activities, running 3 miles cross country......  He told me if palpitations non stopped then go straight to the ER.  Don't go to his clinic.  That was nothing happened during the cross country (LOL).  I think if you've any abnormal symptoms that you feel, you should go straight to the ER.  Hopefully they can catch those abnormal beats and give you a proper diagnoses.

Have you ever had a stress test done?  Any of your ECG showed RBBB?  Sometime they turn off the ECG auto diagnoses so it won't spit out "non-sense".  You actually need someone who can interprete that ECG and go through.  Not only Brugada is dangerous, they are others also can be a life-threatening as well.  Take care.

[cookienkikin]

can alcohol cause ventricular fibrillation in a healthy individual with normal echo's, ekgs, event monitors and holter monitors???  with the only thing showing is pvc's, pac's, and svt?????

[stevie_wonder]

Alcohol does not cause VF in a healthy individual with normal test results. PVCs and PACs are common among healthy people and SVT is also common and sometimes needs to be treated but is not associated with VF.

To your original question: The interpretation at the top of an ECG is only the computer's interpretation and a computer cannot give accurate interpretations of an ECG and are commonly wrong in their interpretations. An ECG is a picture of your heart's electrical activity and therefore should be examined by either a cardiologist or Electrophysiologist. They never go by what is written on the top and no one should be worried by what is written at the top.

One of the last possible things responsible for your symptoms would be an ion channelopathy. Not only are they rare, but they most commonly are associated with abrupt fainting and cardiac arrest. The symptoms come on suddenly and usually people have no symptoms between events. PVCs can initate the arrhythmias in these syndromes but just because you have PVCs does not mean you have an ion channelopathy.

If you are concerned you should get checked by a doctor but this is not somthing you should worry about.