EKG Interpretation?
EKG Interpretation?
October 19, 2021 | 50,00 EUR | answered by Dr. David Meyer
Hello, how do the EKGs look? I have been experiencing palpitations very often in the past 2 weeks, occasional slight pressure in the left arm, heart palpitations (up to 120 at rest), and elevated blood pressure (max 150/95). I am a 34-year-old male with no pre-existing conditions, 1.78m tall, 75kg, smoker (5-8 cigarettes per day), and rarely drink alcohol. The heart palpitations especially occurred a few days after the second dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine.
Dear questioner,
Unfortunately, it seems that your EKG was not uploaded successfully.
At your young age, if you experience palpitations and high blood pressure, it is most likely that there is no malignant cardiac arrhythmia. However, especially after the vaccination you just had, it is more likely to be due to non-specific symptoms (including elevated blood pressure) and a stress reaction. Therefore, I recommend that you, if no further symptoms occur, speak to your primary care physician at the next opportunity and have a long-term EKG performed.
Even at a young age, smokers with high blood pressure can experience cardiac arrhythmias, but these are usually not of clinical significance. Often, it is sufficient to have a stress EKG performed. The statistical risk of a heart attack is very low in your case.
In the case of palpitations, it may be assumed that there is a paroxysmal arrhythmia known as AVNRT if it occurs repeatedly. This is usually harmless but should be evaluated by a cardiologist.
Since your symptoms occurred in temporal relation to the vaccination, I would not worry too much at the moment. As mentioned, speak to your primary care physician about it and have a long-term EKG and, if necessary, a stress EKG performed again within the next week.
Best regards,
Dr. David Meyer
Internal Medicine
