Palpitation upon deep inspiration!

Hi.  I'm very concerned over this.  I'm a 27 year old male in good health.  No real problems except that I was born with very very mild vetricular septal defect.

I can go months without it occurring but when it starts, it's very alarming.  I can get it to happen repeatedly by taking in multiple very deep inspirations.  It feels as though my heart jumps or skips a beat.  I can't really tell.  It never occurs unless I take in a complete inspiration.  I have had a physical in the last year, inluding a test of my pulmonary function, and EKG, and a cardiac ultrasound to follow up on the VSD.  All came back completely normal.

Is there anything out of the ordinary that could be causing this?  Am I going to die spontaneously because I haven't brought it to a doctor's attention?  It's very worrying.

[Artaud]

Hi,

Having a Palpitation occur when taking in a deep breath is not that uncommon. The Cardiologist that my wife works for has patients take in a deep breath to listen for this phenomenon. Myself, when my arrhythmia is acting up, can usually (and almost always) get a PVC by breathing in deeply. In addition, taking in a deep breath and holding it is a common way to abort a fast heart rhythm known as PSVT that some people have. So the influence on the heart of taking a deep breath is already well known.

But, as always, if you have concerns, it's best to consult with your Doctor to be sure. Most likely though, it is normal.

Be well.