Heart Rate

[Jean]

Sunday Detroit Lion quarterback, Joey Harrington, left the game with a racing heart rate...they took him to the hospital. The news that night said his heart rate converted on the way to the hospital and that he would be ok....now they are saying that he will be out for the rest of the season and will require medicine or possibly surgery. I am just curious as to what it is...the news gives no clue. They say he will play next year. He took a helmut in the sternum on the play before he left the game. The news now reports his heart rate was racing between 200 and 250 bpm. Has anyone had anything like this or can help me figure out what would take a young man in his prime...mid 20s...like this.

 

[Gisele]

Maybe SVT

Maybe SVT

Supra ventricular tacycardia. It is when the electronics in the heart go haywire so to speak. The heart has it's own electronic system that keeps it beating. When there is a defect in this it can cause arrythmias.

I don't know if this guy had SVT but after a proper diagnosis he could be a candidate for an ablation. Not sure what meds they would give him if any unless he has this frequently.

My SVT started when I was 17 years old. It would go on for hours and I would have to go to ER to get it stopped. Back then the only Rx they knew of to help was digoxin. Of course that was in the 1970's. It is not a good feeling when you heart is racing at 200+ beats.

Gisele

 

[Jean]

Thanks Gisele. With all the press this is getting, no one said what it was. Evidently his father and brother have similar episodes. This was his first. They say it is not career ending and he will play next season...with only two games to go and the Lions almost in the cellar, they saw no need to push him this year. I had never heard of such a high heart rate and was surprised that it would happend to such a fit young person. But I guess electrics can do anyone in at anytime. My son-in-law's brother had all kinds of problems in his 20s until they found out he had two of the thing that acts as the natural pacemaker and they had started firing alternatingly. He had a procedure to disable one of them. Thanks again.

 

[Gisele]

You are welcome

You are welcome

I am sure if you want more info you can research this on the web. There are a lot of different reasons for a fast rate. The way they differ is which portion of the electonics is malfunctioning such as the Av node or the SA node.

What they can do today that couldn't be imagined years ago is incredible, isn't it?

Gisele

 

[medtronic of borg]

HR

HR

The normal range for an human infant is 70-170 so that is way fast. Some were in the range for a mouse.