The medical term for a low heart rate is bradycardia. Sometimes a low heart rate is defined as below 60 beats per minute, but it would probably make more sense to have low heart rate defined as below 50 beats per minute. Patients often ask if they have a low heart rate and whether there…
Watchman Device – Explained and FAQ’s Answered by a Cardiologist
What is the Watchman Device (Also known as Watchman Procedure, Watchman Heart Procedure or Watchman Implant)? The Watchman Device is a small implant placed in to the heart that can reduce the risk of stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation. Patients with atrial fibrillation are at increased risk of stroke, mainly due to clots that…
Heart Ablation – Explained by a Cardiologist
Heart ablation is a procedure used to treat heart conditions that include a number of heart rhythm problems or in some cases enlargement of the heart known as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Heart ablation is in general a catheter-based procedure (such as TAVR for aortic stenosis or Mitraclip for mitral regurgitation) that means it is performed through…
Holter Monitor Explained by a Cardiologist
What is a Holter Monitor? A Holter monitor is a battery operated wearable monitor that continuously records the electrical heart tracings (known as EKG’s) over 24-48 hours. The Holter monitor can be worn throughout normal daily activities. The Holter monitor test is useful in picking up heart rhythm problems. In medical terms we call Holter…
Sudden Cardiac Arrest – What is it and what can you do about it?
Sudden Cardiac Arrest: What is it? Sudden cardiac arrest is defined as the sudden or abrupt loss of heart function. Sudden cardiac arrest is a life-threatening event that will lead to death (i.e. sudden cardiac death or SCD) if left untreated or poorly managed. Up to 80% of people who suffer SCD have coronary artery…
Eliquis versus Warfarin – Which is Best?
When deciding what type of blood thinner is best, the question of Eliquis versus Warfarin often arises. Blood thinners, also called anticoagulants, are a class of medications that “thin” or prolong the time it takes for your blood to form a blood clot. Simply put, blood thinners stop blood clots. The usefulness of blood thinners…
Heart Flutter
Heart flutter is a nonspecific term often used by people when describing an abnormal sensation in their chest that may refer to one of several conditions which may be benign or may be concerning, including premature ventricular contractions (PVCs), premature atrial contractions (PACs), heart block, atrial fibrillation, atrial flutter, ventricular tachycardia, POTS, or muscle spasms in…
Vasovagal Syncope – What You Need To Know
If you have ever seen someone faint, you will know it can be a scary experience, especially as often it can happen out of the blue for no apparent reason, leading to a lot of anxiety for those around. So what is it that causes people to faint? Well there is actually a medical name…
Inappropriate Sinus Tachycardia
The normal heartbeat is generated just like clockwork by electric signals sent out from a natural pacemaker known as the sinus node. Normal individuals have heart rates of between 60-90 beats per minute. This is actually slower than the natural pacemaker of the heart, partly because there is the slowing influence of the nervous system…
Sinus Arrhythmia – What Is It?
What is Sinus Arrhythmia? What is sinus arrhythmia? Heartbeats are like clockwork. In the same way the second hand on a clock ticks regularly each second, the heart has an electrical impulse that is generated and leads to a heartbeat in a regular manner. The timing between each of these generated impulses is known as…
