Submitted by Dr T on May 15, 2013 – 4:52pm
Question:
I recently had a minor procedure under general anaesthetic (manipulation of jaw following previous op 6 weeks before). Soon after I was discharged I started to suffer from frequent skipped heartbeats, more than 100 over the course of a day (yes, I counted!). It is now more than two weeks and while they are not constant, I do have spells over the course of a day where I’ll get that skip and bump every few minutes.Some background info that may or may not be relevant: about 3 years ago a started suffering from frequent chest pain (short bursts of deep pain in my chest when undertaking mild exercise like walking up a flight of stairs or a slight incline). Investigations, including angiogram, showed lbbb, but no underlying condition. I had this pain many tmes a day for about two years before it began to get less severe, and now it happens very infrequently. I had a single episode about 4 weeks ago, for example.Should I be concerned about the skipped heartbeats? Could they be an indication of anything more serious going on?Thanks for your time.
Hi Louisa,
I doubt the procedure/anesthesia have anything to do with these new symptoms. Since these skipped beats are new, and – depending on your age and cardiac risks, you should be checked for underlying heart disease. If you are concerned about your heart, you can try this questionnaire for the Prediction of Coronary Artery Disease (CAD).
Hope this helps,