What Causes Fluttering Sensation In Throat And Skipping Heart Beat?

Posted on Tue, 29 Apr 2014

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Tue, 29 Apr 2014 Answered on

Mon, 19 May 2014 Last reviewed on

Question : I have noticed a quick fluttering sensation in my thoat the last few weeks where it feels as though my throat is being squeezed. It now happens several times a day and it feels as though my heart is skipping a beat when this happens. When this happens, I check my pulse and it feels like my heart is skipping a beat. I just had a stress test done a few weeks ago and everything came back normal. This feeling happens during times of stress during work but also when I am relaxing at home. What could be causing this sensation and what should I do?

Answered by Dr. Benard Shehu (1 hour later)

Brief Answer:
Stress related...

Detailed Answer:
Hi there,

I have gone through your medical history and to my opinion, it might be related to problems with heart rhythm or just stress. To determine it, I advise to run further tests:
- ECG
- cardiac echo
- stress test
- Holter monitoring
- ENT examinations

Depending on the tests results, specific treatment will be prescribed. Until the tests, I advise to:
- avoid carbonated/coffee/energetic drinks
- avoid alcohol/smoking
- try to control stress
- implement healthy dietary regimen

Hope it was of help! Let me know if you have further questions!
Dr.Benard

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Follow up: Dr. Benard Shehu (33 minutes later)

If it was a problem with heart rhythm wouldn't the stress test I just had done have caught that? I also had a physical last month with an ECG and those were normal. I last had an echocardiogram 2 years ago and that was normal. How often do you recommend an echocardiogram for people with a family history of heart disease?

Answered by Dr. Benard Shehu (2 hours later)

Brief Answer:
Holter monitoring test is necessary...

Detailed Answer:
Hi back,

Thank you for following up.

Holter monitoring is necessary to run in order to catch arrhythmia problems. Please bare in mind that stress test and a routine ECG cannot catch arrhythmic problems.

If the first cardiac echo was ok, I would recommend another one within 1 year or 5 years taking into account all the medical problems my patient would have.

Hope it answered to your query!
Dr.Benard

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Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar