Abnormal heart rhythms in elderly
The rhythm of the heart
The heart is a muscle that pumps blood around the body. For the pump to work, it needs an electrical supply
This is provided by a special group of heart cells called the sinus node, which is also known as your heart’s natural pacemaker
The electrical signal produced by the sinus node makes your heart’s top chambers or atria contract and push blood through to the lower chambers or ventricles
When the impulses reach the ventricles, they contract to push the blood out of the heart and into the lungs and the rest of the body
These electrical impulses cause your heart to beat between 60 to 100 beats per minute (bpm)
The normal electrical pattern of your heart, is known as sinus rhythm, and can be recorded doing an electrocardiogram (ECG). You can measure your own heart rate and feel your rhythm by taking your pulse
It’s normal for your heart to beat at different rates during the day. For example, it will be slower when you are sleeping, resting or doing activities that do not require a lot of effort, but may be faster when you are physically active, such as when you are gardening, walking briskly, or running
Your heart rate might also be faster if you are anxious or excited. You may experience a sensation of feeling your heart beating whether it is beating normally, quickly, slowly or irregularly
Some people describe them as feeling that your heart is pounding or fluttering. These sensations are called palpitations
For most people, although palpitations can feel unpleasant, they’re usually harmless and do not mean anything is wrong with your heart
You might also feel that your heart has missed or ‘skipped’ a beat or there has been an extra beat. An extra beat is called an ectopic beat. Ectopic beats are very common and are usually harmless and do not need any treatment
If you are concerned about palpitations or ectopic beats, you should speak to your doctor who will be able to do an ECG to assess your heart rate and the rhythm
Reasons for different heart rhythms
There are lots of reasons why you may have a different heart rhythm. You may hear your doctor or nurse describe anything that is different from the normal sinus rhythm as an arrhythmia. Some of the common reasons you may have an arrhythmia are:
Your heart is beating either very fast or very slowly
The electrical impulses are coming from another part of the heart and not the sinus node
The electrical impulses are coming from the sinus node, but going to the lower chambers of the heart by an unusual path.
The most common arrhythmia is atrial fibrillation
