“Is tachycardia the same thing as irregular heartbeat?”
What does it mean when my heartbeat doesn't really follow a set rhythm? My heart seems to beat in a random pattern, sometimes slow and sometimes fast. Is this tachycardia? Is tachycardia the same thing as an irregular heartbeat?
2 Answers
Mark Rasak
Cardiologist
No, tachycardia is a heart rate greater than 100 beats per minute. It can be regular or irregular.
Tachycardia means fast heart rhythm. What you have is an irregular heart rhythm. The most common cause of this or premature beats coming from the top chambers or the atrium and occasionally from the lower chambers or the ventricle. These are called atrial premature beats and ventricular premature beats. Sometimes it is due to a more serious rhythm called atrial Ferb relation. If this persists, you should probably see your doctor and get a rhythm monitoring device and an EKG.
Tim A. Fischell, M.D., FACC
Tim A. Fischell, M.D., FACC
