Do premature atrial contractions, dizziness, and palpitations indicate heart failure?

Question

Hello doctor,

My symptoms are getting worse day by day. I have frequent premature atrial contractions, and now my hands feel weak and swollen. I also feel dizzy and get weird palpitation. I had an echo one month ago, and the results were negative. I am scared and do not know what to do. Is this a sign of heart failure? Should I go to ER? Kindly help.

Answer 1

Hi,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I hope you are well. If your echocardiogram was normal, then you do not have heart failure. Hand swelling can be due to some other reason. Kindly avoid the triggering factors like stress, panic attack, anxiety disorder, alcohol, and excess caffeine as these can cause PAC (premature atrial complex) and palpitations. I suggest you continue beta-blocker. If your hand swelling is significantly there and not going away, I recommend you do a vascular doppler of that limb. Also, do holter monitoring to rule out any other arrhythmias like atrial fibrillation. Take care.

Answer 2

Hi,

Welcome back to icliniq.com.

You did not mention which beta-blocker you are taking; it seems you are taking Propranolol. I suggest you take Metoprolol succinate 25 mg once daily. Anemia, excess menstrual bleeding, and hyperthyroidism can also cause these events, so keep a watch on these. Take care.