JeffM
Well-known member
18 months post AVR and partial Maze and my cardio wanted to check the frequency and types of my arrhythmias. First, the report was excellent and I'm quite pleased. I had 7 Premature Atrial Contractions (PACs) day 1 and 35 PACs day 2. No premature Ventricular Contractions (PVCs.) A couple brief runs of Super Ventricular Tachycardia (SVT) day 2 (5 beats). No A-Fib. I know most of you know these acronyms, but it drives me nuts when I read other posts and I have to look half of them up, so I'm spelling them out for those few who may not be familiar with the ones that apply to me. I interpreted the first post I read about someone's CABG followed by SOB as their expression of frutration with their condition. Kind of like, "OMG, I have CABG. SOB!"
Anyway, my cardio told me 300 is the normal number for PACs and PVCs for the entire population, so I couldn't be more thrilled. I was getting more of these the first few months after surgery. So for those of you still recovering and wondering if those incidents will subside, there's hope.
My concern was less about the PACs and SVT and more about the fluctuations in my resting HR after really hard bike workouts. For hours afterward, my resting HR varies roughly every 10 - 12 beats by about 10 BPM alternating between mid 50s and mid 60s. What the Holter report showed is that my resting HR is always alternating, but without a hard workout, the fluctuation is only about 3 beats every 10 - 12. Not enough for me to notice even with a HR monitor or when taking my pulse. But you could see it in the distance between beats on the chart. Pretty cool, I thought.
More imortantly, her assessment agreed with a couple recent studies I read that showed that athlete's hearts tend to do this. They also tend to have slightly enlarged left ventricles. The heart rates of athletes who had to stop or cut back on their workout intensity, and as a result deconditioned themselves, returned to a normal rhythm within about 2 months. You've no doubt heard the term "normal Sinus Rhythim"? My cardio said what I have is a "normal sinus arrhythmia". Huh? I guess once you understand that it's a sign of something positive, it makes sense. "Jumbo shrimp" comes to mind.
Anyway, my cardio told me 300 is the normal number for PACs and PVCs for the entire population, so I couldn't be more thrilled. I was getting more of these the first few months after surgery. So for those of you still recovering and wondering if those incidents will subside, there's hope.
My concern was less about the PACs and SVT and more about the fluctuations in my resting HR after really hard bike workouts. For hours afterward, my resting HR varies roughly every 10 - 12 beats by about 10 BPM alternating between mid 50s and mid 60s. What the Holter report showed is that my resting HR is always alternating, but without a hard workout, the fluctuation is only about 3 beats every 10 - 12. Not enough for me to notice even with a HR monitor or when taking my pulse. But you could see it in the distance between beats on the chart. Pretty cool, I thought.
More imortantly, her assessment agreed with a couple recent studies I read that showed that athlete's hearts tend to do this. They also tend to have slightly enlarged left ventricles. The heart rates of athletes who had to stop or cut back on their workout intensity, and as a result deconditioned themselves, returned to a normal rhythm within about 2 months. You've no doubt heard the term "normal Sinus Rhythim"? My cardio said what I have is a "normal sinus arrhythmia". Huh? I guess once you understand that it's a sign of something positive, it makes sense. "Jumbo shrimp" comes to mind.
