Q:
About 6 months ago i started having fast heartbeat(110 to 130bpm) while just sitting around or in bed. My internist doctor did stress/blood/holter/pulmonary tests, said I have psvt and prescribed Cardizem, a calcium blocker. i took it for three weeks and stopped because it didn’t stop the symptoms and it made me dizzy. I am a 70 year old male/167pounds/5’8″ tall with no history of heart problems or parents having problems except my mother who died of congestive heart failure at 93. Until 6 months ago, i played 6 hours of volleyball per week and hiked/walked twice a week. My BPM is now consistently 25 to 35 BPM faster for any given exercise than it was 6 months ago which scares me i exceed that just walking up a hill or playing volleyball. My question is what should i do drug or surgery wise for my level of psvt. ignore it? do different drugs? get ablation? Thank for any help/advice you can give me. my doctor seems disinterested or unconcerned.
A:
Something happened here. If your heart rate is consistently faster than it was a few months ago, this needs to be investigated further, especially if you don’t tolerate cardizem. I also would not call this PSVT (paroxysmal supra ventricular tachycardia), since it seems to be happening more often than just occasionally.
At your age, the most common cause for a new rhythm problem is coronary artery disease (CAD), so you should look at your risks for CAD. Since you already had a Holter monitor test to evaluate your rhythm over a longer period of time, I suggest you ask for a stress ECHO, to check your heart before and after exercise:
http://www.cardiac-risk-assessment.com/heart-information/palpitations
http://www.cardiac-risk-assessment.com/heart-information/heart-arrhythmia
http://www.cardiac-risk-assessment.com/heart-disease-diagnosis/heart-disease-tes
http://www.cardiac-risk-assessment.com/app/risk-assessment.php
It is too early to consider things like ablation, first you need a diagnosis! For this you may need to see a cardiologist.
Hope this helps,
Dr T
http://www.cardiac-risk-assessment.com/