Irregular Pulse : approach in primary care

An irregular pulse, or arrhythmia, represents any deviation from the normal sequence of electrical impulses controlling the heart's rhythm. These deviations can cause the heart to beat too quickly, too slowly, or irregularly. Irregular pulses can be benign or indicative of serious health issues, necessitating a careful and systematic approach to evaluation in a primary care setting.

Irregular pulse or arrhythmia can be categorized based on the pattern of irregularity into "regularly irregular" and "irregularly irregular".

Regularly Irregular Pulse

This category includes arrhythmias that have a predictable pattern of irregularity. The irregularity repeats itself at regular intervals, which can often be identified during an examination or through rhythm monitoring.

Examples:

• Premature Atrial Contractions (PACs): These are early heartbeats originating from the atria. They often present a pattern where normal beats alternate with premature beats.
• Premature Ventricular Contractions (PVCs): Similar to PACs, these...