Symptom 3. Rapid or Irregular Heartbeat: The Heart’s Distress Call
When the heart is under stress, as in the case of ADHF, it often resorts to beating faster or irregularly – medically referred to as tachycardia or arrhythmia. This frantic attempt to pump more blood is the body’s effort to compensate for the diminished heart function.
Tachycardia can present as a heart rate exceeding 100 beats per minute in adults, a significant increase from the average resting heart rate of 60 to 100 beats per minute. Arrhythmia, on the other hand, can present as skipped beats or a pattern of beats that feels off-rhythm.
In some cases, patients may perceive these rapid or irregular heartbeats as palpitations, which can feel like a fluttering sensation, a skipped beat, or a feeling that the heart is “racing”. This manifestation is the body’s way of sounding the alarm over the heart’s weakened state and should never be dismissed. (3)
