Heart Palpitations

Heart palpitations are feelings or sensations that the heart is beating too hard, too fast, skipping a beat, or fluttering. They can be felt in the chest, throat, or neck. Many things can cause heart palpitations, including anxiety, stress, fear, caffeine, nicotine, certain drugs, diet pills, exercise, and fever. Heart palpitations are much more common in people with heart problems. The heart’s rhythm may be normal or abnormal when heart palpitations occur. If the heart’s rhythm is normal during episodes of heart palpitations, the symptoms may be reduced by leading a more healthy lifestyle, including eating healthier foods, exercising, losing weight, and not smoking. For cases in which the heart palpitations are caused by an abnormal heartbeat, treatment may be required, including medications or electric shocks designed to restore a normal heart rhythm.

Why UAB

UAB Heart & Vascular Services delivers optimal patient care for heart rhythm disorders. You will be cared for by regional and world leaders in the treatment of heart arrhythmias such as atrial fibrillation, atrial flutter, ventricular tachycardia, Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, atrioventricular re-entrant tachycardia, and other heart rhythm abnormalities.

Our physicians evaluate the newest treatments and technologies and author professional publications that advance the field of arrhythmia treatment. Their extensive experience and academic backgrounds ensure that they are familiar with all types of heart rhythm disorders. Our academic medical center performs more than 600 heart rhythm-related procedures each year, and our success in treating all types of complex arrhythmias is well-documented. Our electrophysiologists have access to the UAB Heart and Vascular Center, one of the largest of its kind in the Southeast. It features the most advanced technology available, including four procedural suites dedicated to electrophysiology (the electrical signals in the heart). At UAB Medicine you are part of a program that carries out pioneering work in atrial fibrillation and advanced pacemaker and cardioverter defibrillator design.

Images and Videos

Take a video tour of the UAB Heart & Vascular Clinic at Acton Road.

Understand the risk factors and symptoms of heart arrhythmias, and when it is important for you to see a doctor.

PHYSICIANS

William Randolph Maddox

Tom McElderry, MD

Vance J. Plumb, MD

Related Conditions

Listed below are some conditions that may be related to or share some similarities with the condition addressed on this page.

Arrhythmia

CLINICAL TRIALS

UAB is an active participant in research and clinical trials for the diagnosis and treatment of arrhythmia . We encourage you to speak to your physician about research and clinical trial options and browse the link below for more information.

View Clinical Trials