Palpitations

Question 0

Causes of palpitations

Answer 0

cardiac
psychiatric
miscellaneous
unknown

Question 1

Define palpitation

Answer 1

Palpitation

• intermittent “thumping,” “pounding,” or “fluttering” sensation in the chest
• either intermittent or sustained and either regular or irregular.
• often noted when the patient is quietly resting, during which time other stimuli are minimal.
• Palpitations that are positional generally reflect a structural process within (e.g., atrial myxoma) or adjacent to (e.g., mediastinal mass) the heart.

Question 3

Causes of Palpitation-Cardiac

Answer 3

premature atrial and ventricular contractions - intermittent
supraventricular and ventricular arrhythmias -
mitral valve prolapse (with or without associated arrhythmias)
aortic insufficiency
atrial myxoma
pulmonary embolism
endurance athletes
Other factors that enhance the strength of myocardial contraction, including tobacco, caffeine, aminophylline, atropine, thyroxine, cocaine, and amphetamines,

*Regular, sustained palpitations - regular supraventricular and ventricular tachycardias
Irregular, sustained palpitations - atrial fibrillation

Question 4

Causes of Palpitation-psychiatric

Answer 4

panic attacks or disorders
anxiety states
somatization
(alone or in combination)

*longer duration of the sensation (>15 min) and other accompanying symptoms than do patients with other causes

Question 5

Principal goal in assessing cause of palpitation

Answer 5

principal goal in assessing patients with palpitations is to determine if the symptom is caused by a life-threatening arrhythmia.

Question 6

Causes of palpitations-miscelleneous

Answer 6

thyrotoxicosis
drugs (see above) and ethanol
spontaneous skeletal muscle contractions of the chest wall
pheochromocytoma
systemic mastocytosis