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What Causes Drop In Heart Rate?
Question: My heart rate has dropped in the last few days to 39 bpm and it feels like my heart "thumps" with each beat. Please adise
Brief Answer:
See a doctor promptly
Detailed Answer:
Hi, thank you for using Healthcare Magic. This is a very low heart rate and you need to get it evaluated immediately. If you are symptomatic, such as lightheaded, short of breath, dizzy, or having chest pain, call for emergency. Slow heart rates can be a sign of blocked electrical pulses through the heart. It's the electrical pulses that control the contraction of your heart, and if they are disrupted, your heart may not be able to pump efficiently.
There are different types of blockages, but all can be quite serious and they can also get progressively worse. If the electrical pulse doesn't go through the whole heart, it can stop beating entirely. You don't want to wait around on this. The thumping could be what is called a ventricular escape beat. What this means is that the electrical pulse is almost entirely blocked. In other words, your heart is just hanging on by one tiny electrical circuit remaining. You may need a pacemaker.
You mentioned using furosemide, but didn't say what for. If you are taking it for heart failure, then I am especially concerned that your heart is in a precarious condition and you need treatment right away.
Call for an ambulance or get someone to take you to emergency immediately. Don't delay.
Hope this answers your query. If you have further questions, please get to the emergency room and ask them there.
See a doctor promptly
Detailed Answer:
Hi, thank you for using Healthcare Magic. This is a very low heart rate and you need to get it evaluated immediately. If you are symptomatic, such as lightheaded, short of breath, dizzy, or having chest pain, call for emergency. Slow heart rates can be a sign of blocked electrical pulses through the heart. It's the electrical pulses that control the contraction of your heart, and if they are disrupted, your heart may not be able to pump efficiently.
There are different types of blockages, but all can be quite serious and they can also get progressively worse. If the electrical pulse doesn't go through the whole heart, it can stop beating entirely. You don't want to wait around on this. The thumping could be what is called a ventricular escape beat. What this means is that the electrical pulse is almost entirely blocked. In other words, your heart is just hanging on by one tiny electrical circuit remaining. You may need a pacemaker.
You mentioned using furosemide, but didn't say what for. If you are taking it for heart failure, then I am especially concerned that your heart is in a precarious condition and you need treatment right away.
Call for an ambulance or get someone to take you to emergency immediately. Don't delay.
Hope this answers your query. If you have further questions, please get to the emergency room and ask them there.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Bhagyalaxmi Nalaparaju
I failed to mention that my current blood pressure is 130/65. The reason that i was given flurosamide was to act as a water pill. It turns out that i have been retaining urine and it was affecting my kidneys. Nowadays I use a cathater and we are waiting to see if the Proscar and Flowmax combination will work to shrink my prostate. Even nowadays, I can urinate normally, but if I follow up with the catheter - there is still a lot of urine inside. The doctor felt that i was retaining a lot of water in my system so he suggested flurosamide. It seemed to work great and I was loosing weight too. NOW, when all this heart thumping started (including dizziness) I immediately stopped using flurosamide and started drinking more water. the dizziness went away. Will my heart rate return to normal on it's own or should I go see my doctor first thing in the morning. XXXXXXX
Brief Answer:
See your doctor
Detailed Answer:
I don't think the furosemide has anything to do with the heart thumping and low rate. My concern is that your heart rate will NOT return to normal on its own. You need to have it evaluated by an EKG to see what the problem is. As I mentioned before, this could be a very serious type of arrhythmia that could get worse over time. I would not take a chance on waiting. It is reassuring that your blood pressure is okay, but if your heart is only getting by on one little electrical circuit instead of the several major ones that is the normal case, that could give out soon and then your heart could stop beating. If your heart rate is truly 39, this is very concerning. The other possibility is you might be having another type of arrhythmia such as atrial fibrillation, which could give you a very fast rate, but many of those beats may not be detectable when taking the pulse. Only the thumping ones might be palpable. All of these are serious arrhythmias that need prompt care. Don't wait for thing to get "normal." In any case, you would want to know what is causing this slow rate now, because some of these things can come and go, and the only way to catch them on an EKG is to get it while the event is happening.
See your doctor
Detailed Answer:
I don't think the furosemide has anything to do with the heart thumping and low rate. My concern is that your heart rate will NOT return to normal on its own. You need to have it evaluated by an EKG to see what the problem is. As I mentioned before, this could be a very serious type of arrhythmia that could get worse over time. I would not take a chance on waiting. It is reassuring that your blood pressure is okay, but if your heart is only getting by on one little electrical circuit instead of the several major ones that is the normal case, that could give out soon and then your heart could stop beating. If your heart rate is truly 39, this is very concerning. The other possibility is you might be having another type of arrhythmia such as atrial fibrillation, which could give you a very fast rate, but many of those beats may not be detectable when taking the pulse. Only the thumping ones might be palpable. All of these are serious arrhythmias that need prompt care. Don't wait for thing to get "normal." In any case, you would want to know what is causing this slow rate now, because some of these things can come and go, and the only way to catch them on an EKG is to get it while the event is happening.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Bhagyalaxmi Nalaparaju
Thank you so very much for your concern and advise. I will be visiting the doctor at 9am PST this morning. He will hook me up to the EKG and let me know what is happening from the read out. Once again, thanks XXXXXXX XXXXXXX
Brief Answer:
Glad to be of help
Detailed Answer:
Hi XXXXXXX I am happy to help. If you get a chance, let me know what you find out from your doctor. Karen
Glad to be of help
Detailed Answer:
Hi XXXXXXX I am happy to help. If you get a chance, let me know what you find out from your doctor. Karen
Note: For further queries related to coronary artery disease and prevention, click here.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Raju A.T
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