title: Problem based review: the patient with 'palpitations'.
abstract: Palpitations, or the sensation of a rapid or heavy heartbeat, are a common symptom in both primary and secondary care settings. Here we use a common presentation of palpitations to explore the best ways to assess and treat patients who present in this way. We hope that by using a structured approach to our assessment we will reduce the use of the 'scattergun' approach to diagnosis, thus preventing unnecessary investigation and hospital stay.
authors.affiliation: Bradford Royal Infirmary, Bradford, UK. suecrossland@hotmail.com
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Crossland
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Berkin
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001145:Arrhythmias, Cardiac / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy; D001774:Blood Chemical Analysis; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004562:Electrocardiography / Q000379:methods*; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013616:Tachycardia, Sinus / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy; D016896:Treatment Outcome