childs heartbeat....

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Specializes in nursing home, clinic, homehealth.

Hi, I took my 7 yr. old to the dr. today for what I thought was an irregular heartbeat but he said it was normal!! It will beat normal then get faster and then skip a beat. It really concerned me. Is this probably nothing to worry about?

Steph:)

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This is usually normal in pediatrics, their heart will spead up and skip a beat in relation to their respirations. This goes away when they get older. If you are truly concerned, seek a second opinion.

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Specializes in ICU, CM, Geriatrics, Management.

Lots of variability in children's vital signs.

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The "extra" or irregular beat could actually be an S-3 heart sound which is a normal variant in children and youth (but not in a 40 year old with shortness of breath). Also, I recall that they can have a sinus arrythmia that coincides with respiration?

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Children normally have sinus arrythmias, some are just a little more irregular at times. If you just happened to notice it because you had your hand on your child's chest, I wouldn't worry about it.

:balloons:

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I remember snuggling with my 3 year old son a few years ago and being scared to death when I had my head resting on his chest. I heard the exact same thing! We took him in to the Doctor and she said it was completely normal. I am still glad we had him checked - you never know, and I would have felt terrible if it had been something serious that I dismissed.

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