Palps

[medicalquestion504]

Can you tell me is heart skips are more rampid when you are tired?  The last couple of nights I have woken up at 2:00 a.m. and go work at 6:00 a.m. and find that I am getting skips and flutters all day.  I am only getting around 4 hours sleep and wondering if being over tired is making them worse.  Yesterday I was holding my neck checking my pulse and it would go beat pause beat beat one after another and was freaking me out.  It would go on for hours then go away for a little bit and start doing that again.  I usually get skips throughout the day but not that many.  Do you think that is cause for concern?

[Michael J. McWilliams, M.D.]

For susceptible people, fatigue is often a trigger for skipped beats.  Skipped beats are usually either premature atrial beats or premature ventricular beats.  Premature atrial beats are almost never dangerous -- I really can't think of any cases where they are dangerous.  Premature ventricular beats are very rarely dangerous.  If you have an otherwise normal EKG, a normal history and physical exam, and structurally normal heart, PVCs are benign.  Sometimes a stress test is indicated, but not always.

You should talk to your doctor, but probably not a reason for concern.

I hope this helps.

[medicalquestion504]

One question for you doctor is have you ever heard of the Mini Maze procedure?  I was reading about it and was wondering if is something new they do for symponmatic PVC's?

[ireneo]

I thought the maze was for atrial fibrillation.

As for your "skips" I find fatigue and a few other things will trigger more. But usually PVC's are pretty harmless. They're just annoying at times and doctors may treat them if the patient is bothered by them.

[LukeL]

the miniz maze if for a-fib and if your pvcs come from  one spot in your heart it can be treated with an abaltion, but it can carry some risks.