9 Signs Your Rapid Heart Rate Needs Immediate Care

Tachycardia is the medical term for a heart rate greater than 100 beats per minute (BPM). It can be a sign of emotional distress or anxiety, anemia (low iron levels in the blood), infections, dehydration, or medical emergencies like heart failure or heart attack.

It is important to seek care for this condition because it can increase the risk of cardiovascular (heart-related) complications.

A healthy adult’s heart beats 60 to 100 times per minute, and it’s normal for your heart rate to increase with physical activity, stress, or emotional reactions. However, tachycardia causes your heart to beat more than 100 times per minute at rest.

If you regularly experience tachycardia or have other concerns about your heart health, you should contact a healthcare professional.

Having a tachycardia accompanied by any of these symptoms requires medical attention:

• Palpitations (irregular, fluttering, or rhythmic heartbeat)
• Dyspnea (difficulty breathing)
• Persistent cough
• Dizziness
• Fatigue
• Swelling, especially in the feet, hands, fingers, legs and ankles
• Chest pain
• Confusion (memory loss, disorientation and difficulty understanding)
• Nausea and vomiting

Seek immediate emergency care if you or a loved one have severe symptoms or lose consciousness. If a person loses consciousness while waiting for emergency services, check their breathing. If they are not breathing, perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and, if available, use an AED. An AED is a medical device that can check the heart’s rhythm and deliver a shock to help restore a normal heart rhythm.

In the emergency room (ER), the goal of the healthcare team is to stabilize your heart rate and prevent complications. They will take your medical history, ask you about past cardiac events, and find out if you are taking any medications to determine the cause of the tachycardia. They will also perform tests, which may include:

• Electrocardiogram (ECG/ECG): This measures the activity of your heart. It uses electrodes (small sensors that stick to your arms, legs, and chest) attached to wires connected to the ECG. This can show if your fast heartbeat is due to tachycardia.
• Echocardiogram (echo): This uses sound waves to create images of the structure of the heart and can help determine if your heart is working properly. If your heart is working harder than usual to function, it could be due to tachycardia.
• Chest x-ray: This takes a picture of your chest, including the lungs, heart, large arteries, ribs, and diaphragm (the main muscle responsible for breathing). This can indicate if your heart is larger than it should be or if you have lung problems that may be related to tachycardia.
• Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (cardiac MRI): This allows detailed images of the heart muscles to be obtained. This can show if there is scarring or damage to the heart.
• Coronary angiography: This uses an injected dye and X-rays to check whether blood is flowing properly through the heart and detect any blockages that may be caused by tachycardia.
• Pulse oximetry: Tachycardia can affect the oxygen levels in your blood. This test measures your blood oxygen level.
• Blood tests: This may include a complete blood count (CBC), which is a group of blood tests that measure the number and size of your blood cells. Conditions such as anemia can cause tachycardia by making your heart beat faster. A CBC can help detect anemia and determine if it could be causing your rapid heartbeat.

Specific emergency treatments depend on the cause and may include:

• Vagal maneuvers: These physical maneuvers slow the heart rate. They include coughing, pinching your nose, or applying an ice pack to your face.
• Drugs : In the emergency room, you may receive intravenous (IV) medications, given through your veins, to help slow your heart rate. These may include beta blockers, calcium channel blockers, or Lanoxin (digoxin), a medicine used to treat heart failure.
• Cardioversion: This uses electrodes to deliver electrical currents to the heart, helping it return to a normal rhythm.
• Catheter ablation: In this test, a healthcare professional inserts a catheter (a flexible tube) into a blood vessel (a tube that carries blood), often in the groin. They then guide the catheter to the heart and use hot or cold energy to heal the heart tissue, changing activity patterns.
• Defibrillation: In severe cases, healthcare providers may use a defibrillator to apply electrical charges to restore the heart’s rhythm.

Prevention of future episodes of tachycardia may vary depending on the person, the underlying cause, and the type of tachycardia. Typically, you and your doctor will develop a plan to manage a high heart rate and prevent complications. This may involve taking medications, as well as incorporating certain lifestyle changes that keep your heart healthy.

Some types of tachycardia can be dangerous and should be diagnosed and managed by a cardiologist. A cardiologist is a doctor who specializes in the treatment and diagnosis of heart and vascular conditions.

Eat well

Making dietary changes can help maintain a healthy heart. You can do this if you:

• Choose foods rich in fiber, vitamins and minerals, such as whole grains, fruits and vegetables
• Incorporate protein and healthy fats, such as low-fat dairy, skinless chicken, fish, nuts and beans.
• Limit trans fats, saturated fats, sugar, salt and processed foods

Exercise

In general, getting enough physical activity helps support heart health and reduces the risk of heart disease. Risk factors include high cholesterol (fat levels in the blood), high blood pressure, or being heavier than discussed with your doctor. The recommended weekly amount of exercise includes at least 150 minutes of light to moderate activity.

Your doctor may recommend that you avoid strenuous exercise or competitive sports if you have certain types of tachycardia.

Lifestyle changes

Certain lifestyle changes can help keep your heart healthy and possibly reduce your risk of tachycardia. You can reduce your risk if you:

• Avoid smoking and any recreational drugs
• Stay hydrated
• Limit or stop drinking alcohol
• Avoid tachycardia triggers, such as caffeine or stimulants
• Get enough sleep (7 to 8 hours per night for adults) with consistent bedtimes and wake-up times

Managing stress

Stress and anxiety affect heart health and can increase heart rate. Stress management strategies, such as meditation, yoga, or relaxing activities, may be helpful. Don’t be afraid to ask for support from family, loved ones and friends. If you are having difficulty, seek professional advice.

Weight management

A higher weight than discussed with your healthcare professional may increase your risk of heart disease, high cholesterol, diabetes, and other chronic (long-term) illnesses. If you suffer from obesity or are overweight, a 5-10% weight reduction can significantly reduce these risks. Consider talking to your doctor about weight management options.

Treat underlying conditions

Preventing high heart rate and heart complications can also mean managing risk factors and underlying conditions. This may involve taking medications and making lifestyle changes to manage type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure.

Take medication

If you have recurrent tachycardia due to cardiac arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat) or other heart problems, your doctor may prescribe medications to control heart rate, including:

• Beta blockers
• Calcium channel blockers
• Ivabradinea medicine used for heart failure
• Antiarrhythmic drugswhich are used to treat and prevent changes in heart rhythm

Medical procedures

If other methods don’t work, several medical treatments can help you manage your heart rhythm:

• Pacemaker: This is an implanted electrical device that uses electricity to control the heart’s rhythm.
• Implantable defibrillator: These are devices placed under the skin. They detect irregular heartbeats and send electrical currents to the heart to regulate activity.
• Maze procedure: This is a surgical procedure in which the surgeon creates scar tissue on the heart to help treat certain arrhythmia conditions.

Medical monitoring and advice

If you often experience rapid heartbeat or other heart health symptoms, it is important to consult and follow your doctor’s advice. They will show you how to monitor your heart activity. Let them know if you make any lifestyle changes or if the medications you are taking are not working or causing side effects.

A fast heart rate at rest is called tachycardia. This can be caused by a variety of causes, from dehydration or emotional distress to serious illnesses like heart failure.

If you regularly experience tachycardia or other concerning heart symptoms, tell your doctor. A racing or irregular heartbeat accompanied by chest pain, loss of consciousness, confusion and difficulty breathing are signs that you need emergency help.