Trigeminy is known as premature ventricular contractions
Trigeminy is a heart condition which is characterized by an irregular heartbeat. The heart in usually bound to two beats at a time, but when one has trigeminy, there is an occurrence of a third premature beat. It is otherwise known as premature ventricular contractions (PVC), probably due to the fact that the third premature beat is usually ectopic, meaning that it starts from another area that is not the sinus node. This condition is very common among people of a particularly lifestyle, and some have reported to have not had treatment work on them until they shifted their lifestyle.
PVC analogy and Symptoms
The term ‘my heart skipped a beat’ is usually used to describe a wonderful feeling of love and elation but in the literal sense, this is exactly what PVC entails. It may be felt as palpitations in the chest, at times coming with searing pain. For a person with a normal heartbeat, the ventricles usually contract after the atria has helped in filling them through the contraction. This is what enables the ventricles to pump blood effectively to all parts of the body.
With the trigeminy condition, however, things are a little different. The ventricles contract before the atria have essentially filled them with maximum blood, ultimately leading to insufficient circulation.
The general symptoms are fairly hard to detect, especially for one who is just experiencing the normal irregular beats. With the help of a holter monitor, however, an individual can be able to pinpoint the exact problem. This is not to say that one may not experience symptoms at all. There is usually the feeling inside the chest of a skipped beat or a rare feeling of suction in the chest. These suctions may, in turn, result in chest pains and a faint feeling.
An individual may also feel rather fatigued. Depending on the severity of the condition, a patient may be subject to passing out a number of times in the day. As mentioned earlier, one may also be able to strangely feel the heartbeat coming out as very strong beats, sometimes painful. This increased awareness of your heart palpitations is one way of telling that you have a condition that needs to be examined.
What causes Trigeminy?
The main thing to note is that trigeminy can be caused by normal variations, and can occur to otherwise a healthy person and at any age. Many usually associate heart conditions with old age and poor lifestyle but in truth, there may be much more underlying factors that may lead to the condition.
One major cause of this condition is the abnormal quantities of minerals or electrolytes in the bloodstream. Low levels of minerals such as magnesium are the usual anomalities of electrolytes, attributed to taking too much water pills and diuretics.
Another possible cause is the severe rush of adrenaline that consequently increases the heart beat unwittingly. These adrenaline rushes may eventually interrupt the rhythm of the heart in the long run. In addition, increased stress levels and depreciated sleep may contribute to the condition. During the night, the heart is meant to pump blood at a much slower relaxed speed but when one is sleep deprived, the heart is subjected to much more stress.
Drug use such as the cocaine overdose can lead to severe trigeminy ventricular arrhythmia. Similarly, the overuse of alcohol and stimulants such as nicotine can lead to exposure of excessive toxins to the body, abnormal thyroid levels, inflammation and the eventual depreciation of the cardiac muscles.
Treatment and diagnosis
To diagnose trigeminy, a full history of a person should be taken followed by an intense physical examination. While trigeminy has always been associated with skipped beats and palpitations, the only sure way to determine the nature of the heart condition is through a physical examination, with the help of the doctor’s electrocardiograph.
The treatment of trigeminy will highly depend on the overall health of the individual. If one is fairly healthy, and experiences premature ventricular contractions, then it could simply be a case of trying to restore the overall mineral quantities in the body such as calcium and potassium.
Some trigeminy cases may be lifestyle related and the most effective form of treatment would be to cut down on the caffeine and alcohol intake. The overuse of caffeine is a known trigger of palpitations. Also, people who lead particularly stressful lives should consider therapy and try getting sufficient sleep to help cope with the stress levels.
There are several medications that can be used in the elimination of triggers in cases where trigeminy persists, or one has an underlying heart problem. These include anti arrhythmic medicines, which primarily change the electrical properties of the heart muscles thus lowering the number of trigeminy PVCs. A patient should however, be wary of the fact that some of these medications may actually worsen the cardiac rhythm. This is however rare as these medications are usually clinically tried before being offered to actual patients.
In conclusion, trigeminy may only be considered normal in the case where it occurs very rarely. If an individual regularly experiences irregular heartbeats, he or she should pay a cardiologist a visit sooner than later.