An electrocardiogram is a diagnostic method that determines the features of the functioning of the heart muscle. An ECG shows arrhythmia and many life-threatening diseases. However, with the receipt of the results in hand, not everyone will figure out what is listed in the documents. Few people know how to recognize arrhythmia on an ECG.
What is it
Arrhythmia is a pulse disorder. This concept is considered difficult. In cardiology, there is a special direction - arrhythmology. It is noteworthy that a very large number of people have a need to decipher arrhythmias on an ECG. However, many are unaware of their diagnosis. Pulse disorders are extremely dangerous.
About the structure of the heart
The heart muscle beats due to the effects of impulses from the cells. The beginning of contractions lies in the sinus node. These are cells that are in the right atrium. From the sinus node, the pulses are sent to the atria - right and left. The impulse leads to their contraction, after which it passes to the atrioventricular node. Here, for a brief moment, the movement stops, and the ventricles are filled with blood. After the impulse goes to the legs of the bundle of His. The ventricles, contracting, push blood to the vessels throughout the body.
Normal performance
Normally, the scenario unfolds with the same frequency. And the person in this case does not feel how the heart muscle beats. But if a failure occurs, the pulse is disrupted. And arrhythmia manifests itself on the ECG.
Varieties of Arrhythmia
There are a lot of varieties of violations of this kind. When at rest, the heart rate per minute exceeds 90 - this is called tachycardia. When contractions are slowed down and the rate is less than 55, this is called bradycardia.
Considering how often the heart is contracting, in which area the violation occurs, various pulse failures are distinguished. When determining what sinus arrhythmia means in an ECG, it is worth bearing this in mind.
Extrasystole is also called "sinking" - this is a temporary cardiac arrest. It is noteworthy that a person may not feel this, and not experience any discomfort at all.
But the problem is that arrhythmia can go into another form. In no case can one ignore such symptoms, especially when more than three interruptions occur in a row.
Sinus arrhythmia
Such an ECG conclusion as "sinus arrhythmia" means that a person has a coordinated sequence of contractions, but their frequency is impaired. Sometimes a violation of this type occurs after eating, with deep breathing. So the body responds to stress, physical activity.
Those with sinus arrhythmias on an ECG usually complain that the heart muscle is not working smoothly, and sometimes the patient may feel a sinking heart. In addition, a person with such a diagnosis is likely to suffer from weakness, dizziness, shortness of breath.
For some, the manifestations of sinus arrhythmia on the ECG will be a surprise, since in some cases a similar pathology of this kind develops for no apparent reason. But upon a detailed examination of the patient’s lifestyle, it turns out that the reason for the disturbances was sleep, meals, physical activity.
Causes of Sinus Arrhythmia
The causes of malfunctions in the rhythm and sinus arrhythmia on the ECG are cardiac. For example, due to coronary heart disease, this type of arrhythmia develops. It can also provoke myocardial infarction, heart failure, cardiomyopathy.
Such symptoms can also develop due to heart defects - both congenital and their acquired varieties. Myocarditis also leads to the detection of sinus arrhythmia on the ECG in a child and an adult. The disease does not depend on age.
Also, the reasons may not be related to the heart muscle. They are called non-cardiac. Among them, neurogenic, for example, vegetovascular dystonia, hypoxic, endocrine, is distinguished. Apart are the medicinal causes of arrhythmias on the ECG in children and adults.
Also, the cause may be electrolyte disturbances in the body, the toxic effects of alcoholic beverages, tobacco products. It is noteworthy that sometimes an arrhythmia on an ECG arises of an idiopathic nature - this is the name for cases where failures occur for no apparent reason.
Atrial fibrillation
Otherwise, atrial fibrillation is called atrial fibrillation. Manifestations of atrial fibrillation on an ECG mean that the frequency of atrial contractions is more than 350-700 beats per minute. And thus, the heart muscle can work for several months and even years.
Typically, atrial fibrillation on an ECG occurs in only 0.5 of the population. And the older the patients, the more likely it is to run into it. After 60 years, signs of atrial fibrillation in the ECG are already observed in 6% of people. Male is 1.7 times more likely to suffer from this disease.
Causes
Such signs of arrhythmias on the ECG are provoked by the use of alcoholic beverages, coffee, severe stress, physical exertion, electric shocks, hyperthermia, the use of a number of drugs - for example, containing adrenaline in their composition.
Typically, ECG arrhythmias occur in people who are hypertensive, overweight, heart defects, heart failure, coronary heart disease, thyroid disease, cardiomyopathy, lung and kidney disease, and sleep apnea.
Respiratory Arrhythmia
This type of failure most often occurs in adolescence. And often respiratory arrhythmia on the ECG is found in those who do not have any health complaints. In this case, the disease can proceed without symptoms until the moment when a person visits a doctor.
If we are talking about an adult, often this type of arrhythmia on the ECG appears after a person has experienced nervous overload for a fairly long time, after a serious depletion of the body by the disease. In addition, taking certain drugs also contributes to the development of this disease.
The main manifestation of respiratory arrhythmia - a person during inspiration notes that the heart contracts more often. And when you exhale, his pulse slows down. Usually, the symptoms in adolescents disappear on their own.
Normally, the slowdown of the pulse occurs only while the person is sleeping. And during mental arousal, physical exertion, eating, in the heat, the pulse begins to be faster.
Moreover, in people in adolescence often deep breathing leads to changes in heart rate. And this is also considered normal.
But for adults, manifestations of respiratory arrhythmia may indicate that a person is suffering from vegetative-vascular dystonia. Often a violation of this kind is characteristic of avid tobacco users. And very often a person does not even suspect that there are at least some disturbances in his heart muscle. With the detection of a sign of respiratory arrhythmia in adolescents, doctors usually do not try to take any measures to cure this ailment. Indeed, in the end, as expected, the disease goes away by itself.
Diagnostics
It is noteworthy that a malfunction in the frequency of contractions can be detected during an ECG, as well as phonocardiography, ultrasound and radiography of the heart. Often atrial fibrillation is accompanied by irregularity in the pulse, the presence of abnormal noise. Only after a comprehensive study does the doctor make a final diagnosis.
ECG results
An ECG is an effective diagnostic method that cardiologists around the world use to examine the patient’s heart muscle. ECG results are graphs and digital symbols. Only doctors are involved in decoding them, but sometimes patients feel a desire to do this on their own. To do this, you need to learn a few basic points.
The main elements of the ECG
The paper on which information about the functioning of the heart is reflected is a wide pink ribbon with square markings. The largest squares are formed of 25 cells. Each cell is 1 mm.
Horizontal cells serve as indications of the duration of the heartbeat. The voltage of the departments is reflected vertically. 1 mm means 1 second and 1 mV voltage.
The teeth on the electrocardiogram indicate the movement of the pulse in the heart muscle. Before five teeth there is a ledge in the form of a rectangle. Between the teeth there are segments with a horizontal orientation - for example, ST, PQ. To make a diagnosis yourself, you need to remember the QRS complex - these are several teeth that reflect how the ventricles work.
The teeth above the center line are called positive, and below it they are called negative. Prongs of this kind replace each other. It must be borne in mind that each electrocardiogram chart is essentially unique.
With normal functioning of the heart muscle, the ST and PQ segments merge with the central line, but do not go beyond it. The T wave should never be higher than R. The Q wave should not exceed the R wave in depth.
To follow the heart rate, you will need to arm yourself with a ruler and measure the length of the segments located between R. They must be the same. To calculate the heart rate, you need to calculate how many cells are between the three Rs, and then divide the resulting number in two. After you need to use one of the formulas:
60 / X * 0.02,
or 60 / X * 0.04.
In cases where the value is in the region of 60-90, the heart rate is considered normal. If the indicator exceeds this value, a person is diagnosed with tachycardia, and if it is below this level, we are talking about bradycardia. It should be borne in mind that the normal rate is different for different ages. For example, for adults, 95-100 beats per minute is a negative symptom, while for children up to about 6 years old, this is the norm.
Pathology detection
An electrocardiogram is considered a fairly simple study. She still has no analogues. Often, among the pathologies detected during the ECG, the diagnosis of paroxysmal tachycardia is made. Most often, adults suffer from such a disease, children are exposed to it to a much lesser extent.
Typically, the catalyst for the disease are drugs, alcohol, chronic stress. The disease manifests itself in a frequent heartbeat, and the frequency is significantly higher than the norm - for example, it can be 140-250 beats per minute.
Due to the presence of such attacks, the ventricles in the heart muscle are simply not filled with blood, and this leads to a weakening of blood flow, oxygen is delivered to the internal organs with delays, and the brain suffers.
Also often diagnosed with bradycardia. In this case, the person suffers from the fact that the heart rate is too small. It is less than 60 beats per minute. If a person is engaged in intense physical activity on a regular basis, mild manifestations of bradycardia are considered normal. But most often this indicator is considered a sign of a serious illness.
Predicts myocardial infarction coronary heart disease. And thanks to the early detection of signs of this disease, it is possible to get rid of the risks of suffering from fatal malaise. Ischemia usually occurs in the anomaly of the T wave. With normal data, it does not exceed the R wave in height, but in the case of coronary disease it rises or falls below the midpoint. In this case, the remaining teeth remain normal.
Dangerous cases are when atrial fibrillation is detected. This is an abnormality of the heart muscle, which manifests itself in the fact that impulses appear randomly in the upper pocket of the heart muscle. It is necessary to analyze such a case comprehensively and deeply.
Also, the muscle layer of the most important internal organ can both thicken and stretch. This is accompanied by problems with internal blood flow. This pathology is reflected in the P wave and its abnormal position. In this case, it will appear in the form of a dome with 2 bulges. It is important to consider that thickening of the myocardium in the absence of medical care leads to a stroke or heart attack.
Extrasystole is detected by noticing unusual jumps in the electrocardiogram. Usually they appear in any area and are replaced by compensatory pauses. During this time, the heart manages to rest before the next cycle.
Often this diagnosis is given to completely healthy people. And more often than not, it does not affect their lives in any way; it is not associated with more serious diseases. At the same time, it makes sense to pay attention to this and confirm the diagnosis with other doctors so that it does not become clear that he was confused with anything else. A common ailment is AV blockade of the heart. In this case, the distance between the P waves extends.
Be sure to pay attention to the diagnosis associated with anomalies of the bundle of His. After all, it is located next to the myocardium, which is extremely dangerous. And the pathology is most often transferred to neighboring areas. And in this case, it can easily lead to death. The highest tooth in the electrocardiogram will tell about the presence of problems with the bundle of His. So, if it took not the form of the letter “L”, but “M”, then this serves as an indicator of problems with the bundle of His.
The myocardium is part of the thickest layer in the heart, and diseases of this segment often lead to death. To find out the condition of this site by an electrocardiogram, it is necessary to pay attention to the teeth of RT. Their elevation is the most accurate sign of myocardial problems.
Atrial fibrillation is considered a serious illness. It is expressed in an electrocardiogram in a series of chaotic waves, which in no way look like normal ones. And in no element of the study does familiar complexes appear. Atrial fibrillation is an indication for urgent medical intervention - otherwise, the patient will soon die.
It is necessary to pay attention to the anomalies of the Kent bundle, which is located in the left or right atrium. An electrocardiogram may contain signs of a patient having WPW syndrome. This indicates that the movement of impulses in the heart muscle occurs along unnatural highways. The heart rate goes astray. This happens due to the fact that the natural ducts are not able to provide the atria with blood, since the pulses have chosen a more convenient way to complete the cycle.
In patients suffering from this syndrome, microwaves appear in the electrocardiogram in the region of the R wave. The PQ interval is also significantly reduced. Since decoding of the cardiogram of the heart is far from effective in all cases, often doctors additionally resort to the XM - Holter diagnostic method. It consists in the fact that the patient wears a device with sensors for a whole day that monitors the state and functioning of his heart muscle. This is one of the most advanced diagnostic methods.
Due to the duration of such a study, the results become more accurate, and a reliable diagnosis is made easier. For the timely detection of anomalies, it is recommended that an electrocardiogram be performed at least once a year. And if there are appropriate indications, you need to devote more time to research of this kind. Timely diagnosis, detection of cardiac arrhythmias on the ECG are the key to many years of life when it comes to heart health.