Symptoms

Heart stumbling usually makes itself felt with a much stronger single heartbeat, sometimes this heartbeat is felt as painful. It can also be noticeable by the feeling of a pause, as if the heart had stopped beating. These symptoms can repeat for a few minutes and then stop by themselves.

Sometimes it lasts for hours or starts again after some time. If you concentrate very hard on this feeling because it is uncomfortable or worrying, it can be intensified. In addition, symptoms such as dizziness, shortness of breath or loss of performance can also occur. Heart stumbling can also occur at rest. Further symptoms should be considered.

Diagnosis

Purely in terms of procedure, it is not difficult to examine extrasystoles. During the anamnesis interview, an attempt is made to make an assessment of the frequency and duration of the occurrence. It is also important how the accompanying circumstances present themselves: Does the heart stutter always occur in certain situations or at certain times of the day?

Are there additional symptoms such as shortness of breath, dizziness, poor performance (during physical activity) or impaired consciousness? Certain drugs can also trigger extrasystoles. After the physical examination of the heart, among other things, i.e. listening for pathological heart murmurs, measuring pulse and blood pressure, further device-assisted examinations may follow.

Since an extrasystole is an electrical activity of the heart, it can be depicted by an ECG. Extrasystoles then appear on the examination sheet as a characteristic form. It can be difficult to find the right time to record extrasystoles that are not permanent so that they can be detected during the examination.

In case of doubt or to get an overview of the frequency, a long-term ECG over 24 hours is used. A stress ECG using a bicycle ergometer can also be useful in the event of a stress-related heart stumble. To rule out organic diseases of the heart, an ultrasound of the heart can be performed.Valve diseases, dilatation of the ventricles and atria or the performance of the heart can be determined by means of this examination. An X-ray of the chest or an electrophysiological examination of the heart is also possible, but is more likely to be performed for further or more limited diagnostic purposes. In order to exclude the other causal diseases mentioned above, a blood test can help.