Reset Your Heart Rhythm With These Procedures And Louisville CPR Certification

Not every individual with atrial fibrillation needs to correct it as some people with an irregular heartbeat can go years without any treatment other than stroke prevention. But, a lot of people have so-called chronic AFib, where it's there all the time. They as well can live their lives normally as long as their heart rate isn’t too fast. Dizziness; fatigue and lack of energy; shortness of breath; racing, pounding, or fluttering heart are some symptoms of Atrial Fibrillation. Your doctor may not try to get it back into a normal rhythm if you don’t have any of these problems and your ticker is pumping blood normally. You may be able to control it with medication alone if your ticker goes in and out of a normal beat. If you're in AFib all of the time, your doctor may recommend something else like electrical cardioversion, ablation, etc.

Stay prepared to face out-of-hospital cardiac emergencies efficiently by getting CPR trained. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation comprises chest compressions and rescue breaths. It is a life-saving technique useful in many emergencies, including a heart attack or near drowning or a life-threatening cardiac arrest, in which someone’s breathing or heartbeat has stopped. Select a certified training site for acquiring training. If you belong to the Louisville region in KY, don’t look beyond the AHA certified CPR Louisville for your CPR certificationLouisville. Become certified at the end of the training classes after successfully passing a skills test and written exam.

Electrical Cardioversion- This is one of the first options to reset your ticker. It is a procedure in which an electric current is used to reset the heart’s rhythm back to its regular pattern. You will be given medication called a blood thinner before cardioversion which will give your body time to dissolve any blood clots lurking inside your heart that could come loose because of the procedure and lead to a stroke. The doctor will check for clots in your heart by doing a transesophageal echocardiogram (TEE) if your symptoms are too severe. After sedating you, your doctor will put a long, flexible tube with a small device down your throat until it's behind the top of your ticker. What the device does is it sends out sound waves and picks up their echoes to make a picture on a computer screen. If your doctor doesn’t find any clots, you are all set.

Ablation- Doctors may recommend a procedure to wipe out the heart tissue that's causing the misfiring signal if your AFib still isn’t under control. We are talking about ablation which isn’t a surgery, but requires a small cut. The doctor during the procedure will thread a long, thin tube called a catheter through a vein from your leg or your neck into your heart. Then heat, cold, or radio energy is used to create scars on specific places of your ticker, which stops them from sending or passing electrical signals.

Like all medical procedure, catheter ablation has its own risks with about 5 percent of patients having some type of complication including bleeding where the catheter goes into the body or when it enters the heart, as well as a 1% risk of stroke. Your doctor may skip the catheter and carry out just the ablation if you’re already planning a heart surgery.

Sign up for a course at CPR Louisville by calling on 502-804-6132.

Causes & Symptoms of Dilated Cardiomyopathy And Louisville CPR Certification

Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is the most common type of cardiomyopathy that occurs mostly in adults in the age-group 20-60. It affects the lower and upper chambers of the ticker (ventricles and atria). DCM is a disease of your heart muscle where it becomes stretched and thin(begins to dilate) and the heart isunable to pump blood around your body efficiently. The disease most often starts in the left ventricle, which is the ticker’s main pumping chamber causing the heart muscle to stretch. As a result, the inside of the chambers enlarges. It often spreads to the right ventricle and then to the atria. The heart muscle doesn’t contract normally and cannot pump blood well as the heart chambers dilate which can eventually cause heart failure (HF). Common symptoms of HF include fatigue, shortness of breath, swelling of the ankles, feet, legs, abdomen and veins in the neck. Dilated cardiomyopathy can also lead to heart valve problems, arrhythmias and blood clots in the ticker.

What Causes DCM:

Often, DCM cause isn’t known. Around one-third of individuals of those who have it inherit it from their parents. Diseases, conditions and substances can also cause DCM including coronary heart disease, heart attack, high blood pressure, diabetes, thyroid disease, viral hepatitis and HIV; alcohol; infections particularly viral infections that inflame the heart muscle; complications during the last month of pregnancy; toxins like cobalt; drugs such as cocaine, amphetamines and certain medicines used to treat cancer.

DCM Symptoms:

DCM develops slowly in most cases, so some people can have quite severe symptoms before they are diagnosed with the most common symptoms being shortness of breath, excessive tiredness, palpitations and swelling of the ankles and abdomen.

Diagnosis:

ECG and echocardiogram are the most common tests for cardiomyopathy where the former records the electrical activity of your ticker whereas the latter shows the pumping action of your ticker. Doctors may also suggest an exercise test, angiogram or MRI scan.

Treatments:

There is no cure for DCM at present, but treatments are available to help control your symptoms thus preventing complications. The treatment depends on how your ticker is affected and the symptoms that you have. A number of other conditions can develop as a result of having DCM for some people including abnormal heart rhythms (arrhythmias), blood clots and chest pain. Medicines, a pacemaker (to control your heart rate) or an ICD (if you are at risk of a life-threatening arrhythmia) may be required.

Living with DCM:

According to research, with proper treatment and follow-up, most people with the condition can live a normal life. However, a small proportion of people with the condition are at risk of sudden cardiac death as there’s a very small risk of getting a life-threatening arrhythmia. Discuss about this risk with your doctor, they may offer medication or advise that you need to have an ICD fitted if you are at a higher risk. To manage your symptoms, you may have to make small changes, but you should be able to continue to work or drive a car. Do consult your healthcare provider in this regard.

Cardiac arrest can strike anyone, any time. It’s better that you stay prepared to handle such medical emergencies efficiently involving someone else. Get trained in CPR which is a life-saving procedure for a person whose heart has stopped beating or is no longer breathing. It comprises chest compressions and rescue breaths. Proper application of the procedure can maintain circulation and breathing until emergency medical help arrives. Seconds count when someone’s blood flow or breathing stops, permanent brain damage or death can happen quickly. You could save a life with your knowledge in how to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

If you belong to the Louisville region in KY, don’t look beyond the AHA certified CPR Louisville to sign up for a CPR course. Certified instructors conduct the classes. For more information, or to sign up for a course, contact CPR Louisville on 502-804-6132.

Different Causes of Heart Palpitations and CPR Training in Louisville

A person may feel his/her heart pounding, fluttering, or may seem like skipping beats- these feelings are called palpitations. They may feel scary, but most aren’t serious and rarely need treatment. Awareness in what makes your ticker race can help you not panic when it happens and know when to call your doctor.

Different causes of heart palpitations are:

Anxiety and Stress- Your heartbeat can increase by intense emotions as they trigger the release of hormones. Your body becomes ready to face threat, although you aren’t in danger. Panic attacks can last a few minutes which are intense bouts of fear with a racing ticker, sweating, chills, difficult breathing and chest pain being some of the symptoms. Your panic attack can feel like a heart attack (myocardial infarction-MI), get immediate medical help if you aren’t sure which one you are having.

Caffeine- You may have noticed or felt that your ticker beats faster after your morning latte, keep in mind that caffeine is a stimulant that raises your heart rate, regardless of where you get it from- coffee, soda, an energy drink, or another source. According to a study, caffeine from coffee, tea, and chocolate isn’t likely to cause palpitations in people with healthy tickers. But experts aren’t sure whether it might trigger them in people with heart rhythm problems.

Exercise- There are no two ways about working out being good for everyone. A mere brisk run or intense indoor cycling class naturally makes the ticker beat faster that helps it to pump more blood to power your muscles throughout the workout. Sudden fluttering or pounding of your ticker could be because you haven’t worked out in a while and you’re out of condition. Palpitations during exercise can also be caused by an irregular heartbeat, or arrhythmia.

Nicotine- Nicotine is the addictive chemical in cigarettes and other tobacco products that raises the blood pressure and speeds up the heart rate. Quitting smoking is one of the best things that can be done for the heart, it might not slow your heartbeat right away though. It can be difficult to quit smoking- patches and other nicotine replacement products can help, but they can make your ticker race. Palpitations can also be a symptom of nicotine withdrawal which tend to stop within 3-4 weeks after you quit.

Fever- Our body, during fever due to an illness- uses energy at a faster pace than usual which can set off palpitations. Your temperature needs to be above 100.4 F to affect your heart rate.

Medicines- Palpitations sometimes occur as a side-effect of some prescribed and over-the-counter medicines including antibiotics, antifungal medicines, asthma inhalers, cough and cold medicines, diet pills, high blood pressure medicines, thyroid pills, etc. If you take one or more of these types of meds, ask your healthcare provider if it could affect your heartbeat. Never skip any doses before checking with your doctor.

Low Blood Sugar- Skipping a meal can also lead to palpitations. Our body releases stress hormones like adrenaline to prepare for an emergency food shortage when our blood sugar level drop which speeds up the heart rate.

Hyperthyroidism- Thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland in your neck that makes hormones that help manage your metabolism and other things. Hyperthyroidism or an overactive thyroid gland can make too much thyroid hormone that can speed up the ticker so much that you feel it beating in your chest.

Heart Rhythm Problems- Sometimes an irregular heart rhythm, called an arrhythmia, such as atrial fibrillation, supraventricular tachycardia, ventricular tachycardia- can cause palpitations.

Premature Ventricular Contractions (PVCs)- PVCs are extra heartbeats that happen when the ticker’s ventricles squeeze too soon. Occasional PVCs are nothing to be worried about if your ticker is healthy. You might require treatment if you have cardiovascular disease and you get these extra beats (they throw off the ticker’s normal rhythm and makes it flutter or pound in the chest) often.

Some of the other causes include alcohol, cocaine and other street drugs and hormonal changes.

See your doctor if palpitations come more often or you also have symptoms like shortness of breath, chest pain or pressure, dizziness or fainting. You aren’t required to worry about palpitations that happen once in a while and last only a few seconds- if you’re perfectly healthy.

Undergo CPR training at the AHA certified CPR Louisville in Kentucky and equip yourself in the life-saving technique- proper application of which can revive the life of a cardiac arrest victim. Call CPR Louisville on 502-804-6132 for more information.

Vital Heart Symptoms that your should Never Ignore

Remember, not all heart problems come with clear warning signs. You’d be surprised that some heart symptoms don’t even happen in your chest, and it’s difficult to tell what’s going on. Get it checked out if you aren’t sure which is especially true if you are 60 or older, are overweight, or have diabetes, high cholesterol, or high blood pressure. The higher the number of risk factors you have, the more you should be concerned about anything that might be ticker-related.

Do not ignore these problems:

Chest Discomfort- It is the most common sign that your ticker is in danger. You may feel pain, tightness, or pressure in your chest if you have a blocked artery or are having a heart attack. The feeling varies in everyone with some saying it's like an elephant is sitting on them whereas some others say it's like a pinching or burning. The feeling generally lasts longer than a few minutes which may happen when you’re at rest or doing something physical. Immediately call 911 if the symptoms are more severe and do not go away after a few minutes. It’s also possible to have heart problems- even a heart attack- without chest pain, that’s especially common among women.

Pain Spreading to the Arm- Pain that radiates down the left side of the body is another classic heart attack symptom which almost always starts from the chest and moves outward.

Throat or Jaw Pain- Throat or jaw pain isn’t probably heart-related by itself which is more likely caused by a muscular issue, a cold, or a sinus problem. Call 911 and seek medical attention if you have pain or pressure in the center of your chest that spreads up into your throat or jaw as it could be a sign of a heart attack.

Dizziness or Lightheadedness- Although a lot of things can make you lose your balance or feel faint for a moment, but if you suddenly feel unsteady and you also have chest discomfort or shortness of breath- immediately seek medical attention as it could mean there has been a drop in your blood pressure because your ticker isn't able to pump the way it should.

You get Fatigued Easily- Make an appointment with your doctor right away if you suddenly feel fatigued after doing something you had no problem doing in the past -- like climbing the stairs as extreme exhaustion or unexplained weakness, sometimes for days at a time, can be a symptom of cardiovascular disease, especially for women.

Sweating- Call 911 and get to a hospital right away if you break out in a cold sweat for no obvious reason as that could signal a heart attack. If this happens along with any of these other symptoms, immediate medical attention should be sought.

An Ongoing Cough- This isn’t a sign of heart trouble in most cases but pay attention to the possibility if you have cardiovascular disease or you know you are at risk. A long-lasting cough that produces a white or pink mucus could be a sign of heart failure that happens when the ticker can't keep up with the body's demands, causing blood to leak back into the lungs.

Swollen Legs, Feet and Ankles- This could be a sign that your ticker doesn’t pump blood as efficiently as it should. Blood backs up in the veins and causes bloating when the ticker can’t pump fast enough. HF can also make it harder for the kidneys to remove extra water and sodium from the body, which can lead to bloating.

Irregular Heartbeat- When you are nervous or excited, it’s normal for your ticker to race or to add or skip a beat once in a while. Tell your doctor if you feel like your ticker is beating out of time for more than just a few seconds, or if it happens often as occasionally, it could signal a condition called atrial fibrillation that needs treatment. Ask your doctor to check it out.

Stay prepared to efficiently handle out-of-hospital cardiac arrest cases by getting CPR trained at the AHA certified CPR Louisville in Kentucky. For more information, call us on 502-804-6132.