a-fib vs. skipped beats????

[sylviayasgur]

hi all!
it seems that joey did NOT go into afib on his one year anniversary..... his cardiologist had him in for an ekg yesterday and noticed that he was having some "skipped beats". he was not concerned about these and told joey_who had started taking coumadin as a precautionary measure for the afib_ to stop the coumadin.
these "skipped beats" come and go, they don't last. they frequently occur when he is relaxing or lying down in bed.

my question to you all is: how do you know the difference between a-fib and "skipped beats"? is it that in afib the pulse rate is higher? i did notice that with "skipped beats" (is there a technical name for this condition?) there are clearly several beats that are in sinus rhythm and then it seems one or two are off, then again sinus, then off, and so on.

any info and/or help on this subject would be soooo appreciated. we're much calmer knowing it's not afib and that joey didn't have a "breakthrough" since he's been amiodarone. also, the cardiologist did not seem alarmed.
thanks so much for your help. hope you're all well, sylvia

 

[EVELYN]

Hi Sylvia

When Tyce was in afib, his chest sounded like a herd of horses galloping around in there.....if you've ever watched the Kentucky Derby, that's what it sounds like.....there's no continuity that I could detect. When he had PVC's (premature ventricular contractions) that to me sounded like "skipped beats," as you say. It's like an extra beat every now and then and then NSR for a bit. They never bothered him at all and the cardio said not to worry about them. They were very obvious....not the "lub-dub," but more like a "lub-dub-----dub, lub-dub, lub-dub, lub-dub--dub."
Don't know if that's what you're referrring to or if it's any help to you.

Evelyn

 

[Nancy]

Hi Sylvia-

Here's a couple of links for you. First one is afib, it has a long explantion w. lots of pages, second one is PVCs.


http://www.medterms.com/script/main/Art.asp?li=MNI&ArticleKey=286

http://www.medterms.com/script/main/Art.asp?li=MNI&ArticleKey=1946

 

[ALCapshaw]

My understanding of A-fib is that the HR goes above 150 beats/minute and may be either regular or irregular.

I've also had PVC's (premature Ventrical Contractions) which sound like 'skipped beats'. On one ER trip, I was told I had PAC's (premature atrial contractions). They both felt like a washing machine out of balance was inside my chest. My Beta Blocker (Toprol XL) seems to control / prevent these conditions, even at a low dose (25 mg). They return after a week or so if I discontinue the Beta Blocker.

The cardiologists seem to act like all of these events (A-Fib, PVC's,
PAC's) are no big deal, but they sure get the PATIENT's attention

'AL'