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Is Palpitattions Normal post CABG ??

I just wanted to clear few confusions with regards to the Palpitations that occur post CABG... Are these normal. My Father underwent a CABG around 4 months ago, He is doing fine.. His health is also stable, However, He sometimes experience palpitations. but now it happens frequently. The cardiologist diagnosed the situation and concluded it to be normal. So, Please guide whether this is eventually a normal process post CABG.. Thanks...

Regards,
Mohammed.

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1124887 tn?1313754891
Hi,

My father had a CABG too.

About 40% of all CABG patients get events of atrial fibrillation after surgery (according to the cardiologist responsible for my dad during the hospital stay), but it's most common a few days after. In some people it can sustain for months and years.

As Ken said (excellent answer, by the way) many arrhythmias can cause palpitations (which is just a subjective feeling of strong, fast or irregular heart beats) and most of them are not dangerous, but it's important to find out what's causing the feeling of palpitations.

If he doesn't have symptoms except a sensation of palpitations, it's rarely dangerous, but I would recommend asking his doctor for a Holter monitoring, to find out what this is and isn't.

According to the description (when he gets depressed or other emotional events) it's likely to be PACs or PVCs, but only a doctor monitoring the symptoms can tell for sure.

A CAGB itself shouldn't cause damage to the heart, but it can trigger A-fib events in some patients, and no one really knows why.
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Avatar universal
Hey Ken, Thanks for sharing an important infirmation with me. I also wanna inform you that my father was experiencing palpitations since 20 years prior to his CABG... He says that whenever he gets depressed about something.... He gets those palpitations. Please advise whether these episodes of Palpitations are related in any ways to his CABG... Thanks...
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367994 tn?1304953593
It is not normal or expected to have palpitations subsequent to CABG.  While many people with palpitations can ignore them, others find them extremely disturbing, frightening, and often worry. Fortunately, the vast majority of palpitations are not associated with life threatening heart rhythm disturbances.

It seems when a patient complains to a doctor about palpitations, it becomes the doctor’s responsibility to identify the cause of the palpitations, and provide optimal treatment for that cause.

For some insight:  Most people with palpitations have some type of cardiac arrhythmia (irregular heartbeats). Virtually any arrhythmia can cause palpitations, but the most common causes of palpitations are premature atrial complexes (PACs), premature ventricular complexes (PVCs), episodes of atrial fibrillation, and episodes of supraventricular tachycardia (SVT). Your doctor should be able to categorized with some specificity regarding your palpitations....a skipped beat or a double beat is no problem and can be discounted.

Thanks for your question and if you have any further questions you are welcome to respond.  Take care, and I hope the information is of some help to you.
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