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Palpitations: Evaluation, Management, and Wearable Smart Devices

This is a corrected version of the article.

Robert L. Gauer, MD
Melanie F. Thomas, DO
Ryan A. McNutt, MD

American Family Physician. 2024;110(3):259-269.

Author disclosure: No relevant financial relationships.

This clinical content conforms to AAFP criteria for CME.

Palpitations are a common symptom described by patients as a feeling of a racing or fluttering heart, a pounding chest, irregular or skipped heartbeats, or a pounding sensation in the neck. They are associated with a low mortality rate; however, recurrent palpitations have been shown to impair quality of life and increase health care use. Common triggers are cardiac disorders, endocrine and metabolic disorders, medication or illicit drug use, or psychosomatic disorders. A detailed history, physical examination, directed laboratory studies, and 12-lead electrocardiography are often sufficient to identify the etiology of palpitations. Additional testing may be indicated to include echocardiography, cardiac stress testing, electrocardiogram monitoring, or electrophysiologic studies to distinguish whether symptoms correlate with cardiac arrhythmia or structural or ischemic heart disease. Management of palpitations is based on the suspected etiology. In most cases of cardiac-induced palpitations, the treatment can include reassurance, education, trigger avoidance, or use of atrioventricular nodal blockers. Tachyarrhythmias may require cardiac ablation. Patients who have palpitations with no arrhythmia causality and no cardiac disease should be reassured; however, screening for psychosomatic disorders should be considered. Wearable smart devices with ambulatory electrocardiogram monitoring technologies are currently available to consumers; these tools have shown diagnostic accuracy for detection of arrhythmias, allowing patients to have greater participation in their health care.

Am Fam Physician. 2024; 110(3):259–269. Copyright © 2024 American Academy of Family Physicians.

ROBERT L. GAUER, MD, is a hospitalist in the Department of Internal Medicine Residency program at Womack Army Medical Center, Fort Liberty, N.C., and an assistant professor of family medicine at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Md.

MELANIE F. THOMAS, DO, is a resident in the Department of Internal Medicine at Womack Army Medical Center.

RYAN A. MCNUTT, MD, is a resident in the Department of Internal Medicine at Womack Army Medical Center.

Address correspondence to Robert L. Gauer, MD, at robertgauer@yahoo.com.

Author disclosure: No relevant financial relationships.

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