Jan 31st, 2023 - Overview What is high-output heart failure? High-output heart failure is a condition in which your heart is initially working normally (either with reduced or preserved ejection fraction) but can’t keep up with your body’s increasing need for more blood. Your heart ultimately becomes weak and can no longer pump blood effectively throughout your body. Why is it called high-output heart failure? ...

Nov 30th, 2022 - Overview Hyperthyroidism happens when the thyroid gland makes too much thyroid hormone. This condition also is called overactive thyroid. Hyperthyroidism speeds up the body's metabolism. That can cause many symptoms, such as weight loss, hand tremors, and rapid or irregular heartbeat. Several treatments are available for hyperthyroidism. Anti-thyroid medicines and radioiodine can be used to slo...

Nov 30th, 2022 - Overview Hyperthyroidism happens when the thyroid gland makes too much thyroid hormone. This condition also is called overactive thyroid. Hyperthyroidism speeds up the body's metabolism. That can cause many symptoms, such as weight loss, hand tremors, and rapid or irregular heartbeat. Several treatments are available for hyperthyroidism. Anti-thyroid medicines and radioiodine can be used to slo...

Nov 23rd, 2022 - Overview Metabolic acidosis is characterized by a rapid heartbeat, fatigue, confusion and a general sense of feeling unwell. What is metabolic acidosis? Metabolic acidosis is when acids build up in your body fluids. Metabolic acidosis can develop if you have too many acids in your blood that wipe out bicarbonate (high anion gap metabolic acidosis) or if you lose too much bicarbonate in your blo...

Nov 3rd, 2022 - Overview What is syncope? Syncope (pronounced “sin-ko-pea”) is the medical term for fainting or passing out. It happens when you have a sudden, temporary drop in the amount of blood that flows to your brain. Most of the time, a harmless, short-term cause makes you faint. Syncope can happen if you have: A sudden drop in blood pressure. A drop in your heart rate. Changes in the amount of blood in...

Oct 28th, 2022 - Overview Ventricular fibrillation is a type of irregular heart rhythm (arrhythmia). During ventricular fibrillation, the lower heart chambers contract in a very rapid and uncoordinated manner. As a result, the heart doesn't pump blood to the rest of the body. Ventricular fibrillation is an emergency that requires immediate medical attention. It's the most frequent cause of sudden cardiac death....

Oct 26th, 2022 - Overview What is Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome? Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome (WPW) is a heart condition that occurs in people born with a certain heart defect. This congenital condition (meaning, you were born with it) changes the usual pathway that electrical impulses, or signals, travel through your heart. If you have WPW syndrome, you have an extra signal pathway. When signals take this c...

Oct 22nd, 2022 - Diagnosis Tachycardia consultation at Mayo Clinic A thorough physical exam, medical history and testing are required to diagnose tachycardia. Note: Items within this content were created prior to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and do not demonstrate proper pandemic protocols. Please follow all recommended Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines for masking and so...

Oct 22nd, 2022 - Tachycardia care at Mayo Clinic Tachycardia teamwork at Mayo Clinic At Mayo Clinic, an interdisciplinary team of tachycardia experts works together to provide compassionate, whole-person care. Note: Items within this content were created prior to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and do not demonstrate proper pandemic protocols. Please follow all recommended Centers for Disease C...

Oct 22nd, 2022 - Overview Tachycardia heartbeat Open pop-up dialog box Close Tachycardia heartbeat Tachycardia heartbeat In tachycardia, an irregular electrical signal (impulse) starting in the upper or lower chambers of the heart causes the heart to beat faster. Tachycardia (tak-ih-KAHR-dee-uh) is the medical term for a heart rate over 100 beats a minute. Many types of irregular heart rhythms (arrhythmias) can...

Oct 3rd, 2022 - Overview Tachycardia, a heart rhythm that’s faster than normal, is more than 100 beats a minute at rest. What is tachycardia? When you have tachycardia, your heart beats faster than normal for a few seconds to a few hours. Normally, your heart rate is 60 to 100 beats per minute when you’re not active. When your heart beats more than 100 times a minute at rest, that’s tachycardia. Because your h...

Sep 9th, 2022 - Overview What is postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS)? Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) is a condition that causes your heart to beat faster than normal when you transition from sitting or lying down to standing up. It’s a type of orthostatic intolerance. Each word of “postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome” has a meaning: Postural: Related to the position of your...

Aug 4th, 2022 - Overview What is atrial tachycardia? Atrial tachycardia is a type of arrhythmia — an irregular heart rhythm — that causes the upper chambers (atria) of your heart to beat faster than normal. They can beat 100 to 250 beats per minute. Atrial tachycardia is a type of SVT or supraventricular tachycardia. These happen in your atria, which are the upper chambers of your heart. This condition has sev...

Jul 28th, 2022 - Overview What is tetanus? Tetanus (pronounced “teh-tuh-nuhs”) is a bacterial infection that affects your nervous system. When the bacteria enter your body, they create a poison (toxin) that causes painful muscle contractions. Tetanus is commonly called lockjaw because it causes your neck and jaw muscles to lock up. A vaccine can prevent tetanus. Who does tetanus affect? Anyone can get tetanus, ...

Jun 29th, 2022 - Overview What is pyruvate kinase deficiency? Pyruvate kinase (pronounced “pie-ROO-vate KYE-nace”) deficiency is a rare genetic disorder that causes your red blood cells to break down too fast. Pyruvate kinase is an enzyme, a substance your red blood cells need to make energy and survive. Without enough of this enzyme (a deficiency), your red blood cells destruct before your body can make new re...

Jun 27th, 2022 - Overview What is atrial arrhythmia? Atrial arrhythmias are irregular heartbeats that cause poor circulation. They occur when the upper chambers of your heart are out of rhythm with the lower chambers. This can cause your heart to beat either too fast or slow. These arrhythmias may result from too much caffeine, alcohol or stress. They can also result from a serious health condition or heart pro...

Jun 23rd, 2022 - Overview An example of bradycardia on an electrocardiogram. What is bradycardia? Bradycardia is a condition where your heart beats fewer than 60 times per minute, which is unusually slow. This condition may be dangerous if it keeps your heart from pumping enough blood to meet your body's needs. However, bradycardia can also happen without causing any harmful effects, especially in very physical...

Jun 12th, 2022 - Overview An EKG showing ventricular tachycardia, a heart rate that’s too fast. What is ventricular tachycardia? Ventricular tachycardia is a heart rate higher than 120 beats per minute that starts in your heart’s two lower chambers (ventricles), rather than from the normal electrical pathway. A normal resting heart rate is 60 to 100 beats per minute. During an episode of ventricular tachycardia...

Jun 8th, 2022 - Overview What is thyroid storm? Thyroid storm (also called thyroid crisis and thyrotoxic crisis) happens when your thyroid gland releases a large amount of thyroid hormone in a short amount of time. It’s a rare complication of hyperthyroidism. Thyroid storm is a medical emergency and is life-threatening. What does my thyroid do? Your thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland located in the front of y...

Jun 7th, 2022 - Overview Bark scorpion Open pop-up dialog box Close Bark scorpion Bark scorpion The bark scorpion is commonly found in the desert of the southwestern United States. Scorpion stings are painful but rarely life-threatening. Young children and older adults are most at risk of serious complications. In the United States, the bark scorpion, found mainly in the desert Southwest, is the only scorpion ...