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Felt A Heart Skip And Had Cough, Going To Pass Out. What Does It Indicate?.
Question: My heart felt like it skipped a beat and made me cough. Then I felt like I was going to pass out. It only lasted a couple seconds, but it was really scary. I've felt my heart skip before, but it never made me feel faint. Im not pale or anything. I feel fine now. Is this normal?
Hi friend,
Welcome to Health Care Magic
Skipped beats are common and often may be normal. If the pause is long, 'near-syncope' can occur...because of reduced blood flow...
It is advisable to have it investigated. A thorough history and physical examination is the first step -
ECG (Electrocardiogram / EKG) – Routine 12-lead – is part of clinical examination. Irregular heart beats need to be DOCUMENTED by ElectroCardioGram (EKG). Standard ECG records the electrical activity of the heart, for a few seconds. It can detect the arrhythmia occurring during that time only. If the episode occurs randomly or precipitated by a specific activity like exercise, one needs Holter or event monitor. Holter records for days; Event monitor for weeks / Holter records continuously / Event monitor only at certain times .
Anaemia / Anxiety / Alcohol / Tobacco (smoking) / Caffeine (too much coffee, cola) / Medicines like Phenylephrine used for ‘cold’; Salbutamol used for asthma / Fever / Thyroid / Vitamin D, calcium and magnesium may all have a role... At times, abnormal nerve paths in the heart (bypass tracts) are responsible!
TMT (Treadmill exercise ECG) is done to exclude Ischemia (reduced blood flow).
LABORATORY work-up is routine - like blood counts, sugar, urea, electrolytes (potassium in particular), thyroid (over-active) and so on. Your Internist shall suggest based on the situation.
Take care
Wishing speedy recovery
God bless
Good luck
Welcome to Health Care Magic
Skipped beats are common and often may be normal. If the pause is long, 'near-syncope' can occur...because of reduced blood flow...
It is advisable to have it investigated. A thorough history and physical examination is the first step -
ECG (Electrocardiogram / EKG) – Routine 12-lead – is part of clinical examination. Irregular heart beats need to be DOCUMENTED by ElectroCardioGram (EKG). Standard ECG records the electrical activity of the heart, for a few seconds. It can detect the arrhythmia occurring during that time only. If the episode occurs randomly or precipitated by a specific activity like exercise, one needs Holter or event monitor. Holter records for days; Event monitor for weeks / Holter records continuously / Event monitor only at certain times .
Anaemia / Anxiety / Alcohol / Tobacco (smoking) / Caffeine (too much coffee, cola) / Medicines like Phenylephrine used for ‘cold’; Salbutamol used for asthma / Fever / Thyroid / Vitamin D, calcium and magnesium may all have a role... At times, abnormal nerve paths in the heart (bypass tracts) are responsible!
TMT (Treadmill exercise ECG) is done to exclude Ischemia (reduced blood flow).
LABORATORY work-up is routine - like blood counts, sugar, urea, electrolytes (potassium in particular), thyroid (over-active) and so on. Your Internist shall suggest based on the situation.
Take care
Wishing speedy recovery
God bless
Good luck
Note: For further queries related to coronary artery disease and prevention, click here.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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