Normally we do not hear our heartbeats. Palpitations are when a person hears or becomes aware of their heartbeat in a disturbing way. Not every palpitation means an arrhythmia. We can hear our heartbeat when we are very calm and still, lying on our left side, or after climbing a few flights of stairs quickly. This is a completely normal situation. Rhythm disorder means that the heart does not work regularly, works too slowly or too fast.
What is tachycardia?
Normally, our heart beats between 60 and 100 times per minute during rest. A heart rate above 100 beats per minute is called tachycardia. If tachycardia originates from the atria in the heart, it is called supraventricular tachycardia, and if it originates from the ventricles, it is called ventricular tachycardia. In general, supraventricular tachycardias are less dangerous, but in rare cases they can be very dangerous. Ventricular tachycardias may have a more malignant course. Some types can be fatal.
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What are the symptoms of tachycardia?
It usually presents as attacks of severe palpitations that start suddenly, continue for a certain period of time, and end suddenly after a while. During palpitations, dizziness, numbness in hands, feet and lips, tingling sensation, sweating and if the pulse is very high, fainting may occur. If it originates from the ventricles, it can cause sudden death in some cases. You never know when palpitations will start or how long they will last, they cannot be predicted in advance. Attacks of palpitations tend to become more frequent and last longer and longer. It occurs more frequently in fatigue, insomnia and stressful situations.
Do arrhythmia have anything to do with what we eat or drink?
Although arrhythmia has no relation with normal foods, excessively strict dieting, especially with intense exercise and sweating, cause sodium, potassium and magnesium in the blood to decrease. It may cause electrolyte imbalance, causing arrhythmia. Apart from this, excessive alcohol use can cause a type of rhythm disorder originating from the atrium, which we call atrial fibrillation. Again, since energy drinks contain high amounts of caffeine, their use does not cause arrhythmias or tachycardia attacks. It may cause e.g.
Can drinking tea and coffee cause arrhythmia?
The most curious question is "Does drinking tea and coffee cause tachycardia?" is the question. There is no relationship between tea drinking and arrhythmia. Coffee, on the other hand, can trigger tachycardias if consumed too much due to its caffeine content. However, consuming 1-2 cups or 1-2 mugs of coffee daily does not cause a problem.
How is arrhythmia diagnosed?
The diagnosis of arrhythmia is determined by heart graph (ECG). The heart graph during the patient's complaint is very important. For this reason, when palpitations begin, patients should go to the nearest healthcare facility, have an ECG taken before the palpitations end, and show this ECG to an arrhythmia specialist without losing it. If it is not possible to take an ECG during palpitations, attacks are tried to be detected with ECG Holter devices attached to the patient. If the suspicion of arrhythmia is high and it cannot be detected by ECG, this can be done by arrhythmia specialists; Diagnosis can be made through a test called Electrophysiological Study, which is performed through catheters inserted into the heart through a vascular access from the groin.
How is tachycardia treated?
There are two options for the treatment of rhythm disorders. The first of these is rhythm regulating drugs. The frequency of palpitations can be reduced or completely suppressed with drug treatment. However, when the drug is stopped, palpitations reappear. In some patients, the drug may not have any effect or they may not be able to use the drug due to drug-related side effects. In such cases, radiofrequency ablation therapy, which is the second and definitive treatment option, must be applied.
What is ablation (burning) treatment and how is it done?
In radiofrequency ablation treatment; Without anesthetizing the patient, the groin area is anesthetized and sheaths are placed into the vein with a needle. Then, catheters are advanced through these sheaths and placed in certain places within the heart. These catheters are connected from the other end via cables to a computer with an arrhythmia program installed. With different applications made with the help of a computer through this program, the focus or mechanism that causes arrhythmia in the patient's heart is determined. is detected. Then, radiofrequency energy is applied to this determined focus via the catheter (popularly known as burning therapy) to eliminate the arrhythmia. During the procedure, the patient is awake. After the procedure, the groin sheaths are removed and a bandage is applied to the groin to prevent bleeding for 2-3 hours. Patients can stand up and walk after approximately 3 hours and return to work one day later. Apart from radiofrequency energy, the ablation process can also be performed by the freezing method called cryoablation. In this method, -50/-70 degrees of cold is applied to the arrhythmia focus, making it ineffective. If the focus is completely neutralized by ablation treatment, the risk of tachycardia recurring from the same focus is almost non-existent.
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