• Features of the human pulse
• Influence of physical activity
• Pulse measurement
• Increased pulse: tachycardia
• Danger of high heart rate
• First aid for tachycardia
• Medical therapy

People get used to a certain pulsation of the veins that accompanies them all the time. Suddenly appears - what to do? Such a question is quite natural, because in the human body everything is interconnected, and any changes indicate something.

Not always such a change indicates a disease. But if you suddenly notice in yourself, what should you do first? Such a problem should cause alarm when these phenomena become a pattern - they occur often and for a long time, even at rest.

Features of the human pulse

The human pulse is an oscillatory movement of the walls of the arteries with a certain amplitude and frequency, which corresponds to the rhythm of the heart. According to the parameters of the pulsation of the artery, it is possible to assess the state of the cardiovascular system. should be rhythmic (impulses through the same period of time) and have a "healthy" frequency (60-90 beats per minute).

The normal frequency of pulse impulses depends on the age, sex of the person, physical activity, environmental conditions and many other factors; even changing the position of the body, at times, can change the pulse.

Based on this, the norm is set in a fairly wide range. The influence on the frequency of the pulsation of the time of day is noticed - the slowest rhythm at night during sleep; The fastest pace is manifested in the period from 15.00-20.00 h.

The value of the pulse rate changes significantly with the age of a person, gradually decreasing by the age of 50, and then increasing again. The maximum frequency in newborns: average - about 140 beats. per minute. By the age of 8-10, it is already about 90 beats. For adolescents 12-15 years old, 55-95 beats are considered. then reaches 60-80 beats. At the age of 60-80 years - 70-90 beats. per minute. In women, the pulse is slightly higher than in men.

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Influence of physical activity

In the case of any physical activity, the pulsation rhythm can increase significantly, which cannot be considered an anomaly.

Already with active walking, he can reach 100 beats. and even more when running. The following load classification has been adopted:

1. With a pulse of 100-130 pulses per minute, the load is normal.
2. 170-200 beats load on the verge of maximum permissible values ​​and should be reduced.

The main difference between the normal process of the body's reaction to physical activity is the normalization of the pulse 3-5 minutes after the release of stress, while an abnormally high pulse lasts much longer.

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Pulse measurement

The most common way to measure the pulsation rate is to palpate the radial artery on the wrist, since in this zone the artery is closest to the skin and is easily distinguishable.

The pulse is determined by directly counting the number of pulses, usually within 30 seconds (then doubling to convert to 1 minute).

A more detailed picture for assessing the state of the cardiovascular system can be obtained by palpation of the carotid and temporal arteries.

Sometimes impulses are checked in the subclavian, shoulder and femoral region.

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Increased pulse: tachycardia

If a high pulsation rhythm is observed at rest or does not normalize within 5 minutes after the removal of physical activity, then this may indicate the presence of a pathology - tachycardia. The main reasons for an abnormal increase in heart rate can be the following:

• functional disorders of the cardiovascular organs;
• psychological state after stress;
• acute human diseases (especially infectious and endocrine);
• thyroid pathology;
• the body's reaction to taking certain drugs;
• excess of permissible physical loads;
• inflammatory processes;
• dehydration of the body;
• excess food intake;
• intoxication of the body;
• disorders of the nervous system;
• respiratory failure and a number of other factors.

If a rapid pulse, i.e. tachycardia, accompanied by a number of symptoms, then we can talk about the presence of serious diseases, in which case you should consult a doctor. Such dangerous signs include noticeable weakness of the body, arrhythmia or increased heartbeat, dizziness, noise (sometimes ringing) in the ears, cold sweating, blurred vision.

An important symptom of the disease is a violation of the respiratory regime - the number of pulses per respiratory cycle (exhalation, pause, inhalation).

Pulsation within 4-6 beats per cycle is considered normal; if the frequency is exceeded, attention should be paid to the failure of the respiratory regime, and if the rhythm is more than 9 beats, immediately consult a doctor.

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Danger of high heart rate

In the process of prolonged tachycardia and increased heart contractions, characteristic hemodynamic disturbances occur with spread to all organs and of a coronary nature.

The heart muscle with continuous overload requires more oxygen, which leads to its excessive consumption. In the coronary vessels, nutritional deficiency is manifested, leading to the occurrence of cardiopathy. Tachycardia that develops against the background of myocardial damage can provoke or complicate pre-existing heart failure.

The most dangerous complication of tachycardia is the appearance of ventricular fibrillation, which necessitates urgent resuscitation.

Typically, a high heart rate can occur in three stages of blood pressure - normal, low and high. Tachycardia at normal pressure may indicate heart disease, respiratory disease, anemia, and thyroid pathology. Increased heart rate at high pressure indicates an exacerbation of hypertension. Tachycardia in combination with low blood pressure can lead to anaphylactic or cardiological shock, dystonia of the vascular system. This combination may indicate bleeding.

They say that nature is alive, and man is its integral part. I do not argue, but I feel that there is some stretch here, that this is the conclusion of the natural philosophical theory.

However, walking around the mountains, I began to perceive this abstract thesis in a completely different, subjective way: I began to divide the mountains into those that want to destroy a person and those that favor a person.

The Shkhelda Gorge in the Central Caucasus is a household word for the first type. There is not even five quiet minutes when the noise of avalanches, landslides and rockfalls is not heard, when reflections of lightning or lightning are not visible. A very disturbing place.

But as soon as you cross the Main Caucasian Range, you feel that nature is softening: lush vegetation, sunshine and good weather. Mountains are mountains, there are dangers here and there, but the environment has become kinder.

The case allowed me to get acquainted with the third state - the indifference of the mountains. There is nothing worse than such an attitude! And this is how I met him.

In the afternoon we climbed up trying to get closer to the pass in the Pamir-Alay mountains in order to overcome it in the morning. The path is easy, but the ascent is quite steep and long. There was little left. Here are two rocks on the sides, they stand like gateposts. You just need to reach them, go through and find a place to spend the night there.

The leader reached the goal and suddenly stood up. What? A minute later, we were all crowded together on a tiny platform between the rocks, the slope we climbed, and ... a sand dune.

The eyes simply refused to believe what they saw: a real huge dune of the finest white sand at an altitude of four and a half thousand meters above sea level. How did she get here? If we assume that she herself was formed here, then how many millions of years it took the wind to blow to cause so much sand.

You have to climb up the crest of the dune, there is no other way. And hurry, the night is near.
At first glance, the task is more than simple. But I would never have thought that this elementary task would require all physical strength, including transcendent ones, would put us on the brink of physical survival.

Went. One after the other. The first person to step on the sand immediately begins to swear, but quickly falls silent, suffocating from lack of air. Having taken a step, the foot slides down three-quarters of the sand. The sand is fine and dry. The leg should be placed as high as possible in order to move at least a little bit.

Imagine that you need to go up from the bottom up on a long escalator going down. Difficult, but possible. Now let's complicate the task: put on a backpack weighing thirty-five kilograms. Weak? So put on a gas mask to make breathing difficult. This analogy does not yet give a full sense of the situation in which we find ourselves. Because the gas mask, although it makes breathing difficult, does not deprive of oxygen, and in the mountains there is really little of it. Water boils at eighty-five degrees. Even vermicelli and rice cannot be cooked. And now, under the fear of death, you need to get to the top at all costs. And not just one, but the whole group.

Well, now you understand at least a little bit?

A step, the rustle of pouring sand, another step, you have to stop and catch your breath, your dry throat is tearing. But you can’t: stopping anyway, you slide down right on the head of the one following you. The heart is beating like crazy. If you want - you don't want, you can - you can't, but go. The eye sees nothing but this damned sand. And every now and then the backpack of the person in front falls on your head. And you have to push him up with your head in order to somehow help an exhausted comrade.

When the climb is steep, at high altitude you have to stop every five minutes to catch your breath, but it was absolutely impossible to stop.

We climbed the dune without stopping for more than an hour. When the last person was dragged by the arms to the top, they fell on the sand and breathed, breathed and breathed. Everything else just turned off.

Slightly regaining consciousness began to measure the pulse. I had the least - 170 beats per minute, I was in good shape. Well, our girl has 250!
Doctors would rather tell where is the threshold beyond which the heart can't stand it and can just stop, but I think that we were close to it.

Breathing and relaxing, they began to look around. Well, the place: rocks, sand and ice. The dune covered part of the glacier and rocks.

It was here that I got the feeling that for this place a person is nothing: what he is, what he is not - everything is one. What is the best comparison? Cemetery? No, there is still life in the cemetery. It looks more like a crypt that has stood in the loneliness of the desert for a million years and does not care: who came here or not, remained alive or died.

The heart muscle in an adult healthy person at rest contracts 50-100 times per minute. For children, the norm is higher and depends on the age of the child. For a newborn, this is 120-140 contractions per minute.

Gradually, by the age of 5-6, the heart rate decreases to 90. For elderly people with poor health, 90-100 beats per minute are acceptable. For athletes, 40-60 beats per minute will be the norm. If the heart rate is more than 100 per minute, we can talk about the occurrence of tachycardia.

Its causes and varieties are varied. An attack of tachycardia can be physiological and pathological.

Physiological tachycardia

As the name implies, this is a normal reaction of the body, a natural physiological process, it is not a disease. Heart palpitations can be caused by:

• Emotional experiences (grief, fear, joy);
• Any physical activity;
• Various environmental factors (stuffy room, being at height);
• An increase in body temperature (the heartbeat increases by 10 beats with an increase in body temperature by 1 degree).

Hot flashes during menopause, banal overeating, and allergies can provoke an attack of tachycardia. Heart rate can increase with frequent use of strong coffee or tea, energy drinks.

A distinctive feature of tachycardia in a healthy person is the absence of pain in the heart. Normally, after 2-5 minutes, the pulse is restored on its own, treatment is not required. To determine the maximum allowable heart rate, you need to subtract your age from 220. For example, a person is 60 years old. It is necessary from 220-60 \u003d 160, which means that his pulse during exercise should not be more than 160 beats per minute.

Pathological tachycardia

A pathological attack of tachycardia is usually the result of any diseases, for example:

• Dystrophic changes in the heart muscle;
• Failure in the endocrine system (hyperthyroidism);
• Violation in the process of impulse conduction (between the atrium and the ventricle, in the sinus node);
• Hemodynamic disorders (low blood pressure, dehydration (profuse, frequent vomiting, diarrhea), prolonged or heavy bleeding (trauma, uterine bleeding);
• myocardial infarction;
• Vegetative-vascular dystonia, and most often in young people);
• neuroses.

Symptoms

Patients with constant palpitations complain of lack of air, dizziness, nausea, fatigue, constant weakness. The pulse rate at the same time reaches 130 beats per minute.

Paroxysmal (paroxysmal) tachycardia usually begins suddenly. The pulse rate reaches 200 beats per minute and above - sometimes it is even difficult to count it. Patients may complain of a strong heartbeat (heart pounding, jumping out of the chest), dizziness, shortness of breath, blackouts, fear, chest pain, may faint. The attack can also end abruptly.

Diagnostics

Based on the symptoms and the collection of anamnesis (complaints of the patient), it is possible to suspect the cause of the tachycardia. To make an accurate diagnosis, the doctor will prescribe special examinations: an electrocardiogram (ECG), an ultrasound of the heart (ECHOCARDIOGRAPHY), a complete blood count, urine test, and a blood test for hormones.

Currently, it is possible to monitor the work of the patient's heart in the normal rhythm of life. With the help of a portable device, which is attached under clothing on a belt, an ECG is continuously recorded during the day. This procedure is called 24-hour Holter ECG monitoring. You can do it in the hospital and at home.

First aid

First aid for tachycardia consists of the following:

1. Without panic, but quickly, if possible, call someone for help;
2. Unbutton the collar, ensure a sufficient supply of fresh air;
3. You can drink Corvalol, Valocordin, motherwort tincture, valerian;
4. Wash with ice water, put a cold compress on your forehead;
5. Close your eyes, press hard on the eyeballs for 10 seconds, repeat several times;
6. You can take a deep breath, hold your breath and push like in a toilet. Do all this for 3-5 minutes;
7. Try to cough hard.

Your doctor will help you later

What to do next should be decided by the doctor. Be sure to see a doctor. The earlier first aid is provided and the cause of the disease is determined, the more effective the treatment process will be. The main task is to find and eliminate the cause of tachycardia.

Only a doctor can make a correct diagnosis, prescribe medication if necessary, and, if necessary, recommend surgical treatment.

For any form of tachycardia, the complex of treatment includes physiotherapy exercises (exercise therapy), dietary, rational nutrition, dosed walking, good sleep, and the exclusion of disease-causing factors. It is definitely recommended to give up bad habits, not self-medicate and lead a healthy lifestyle.

17-year-old Sergei Ilyashevich from the village of Novoaleksandrovka, Mykolaiv region, German doctors eliminated a congenital heart disease

“We learned about Sergey’s illness when he was eleven years old,” says the boyfriend's mother Maria Ilyashevich from the village of Novoaleksandrovka, Bashtansky district, Mykolaiv region. - Seryozha came home after a walk, took a shower, had dinner and suddenly began to complain of a strong heartbeat. The cardiogram made in the Nikolaev hospital showed that Serezha's heart rate was 350 (!) beats per minute. That same evening, we were stunned by the news that our son had a congenital heart defect. I couldn't believe it. Sergey has always been a healthy child: he ran, jumped, played with children, even went to physical education competitions. And here it is!

After treatment in Nikolaev, we were sent to the Kyiv Center for Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery. The treatment was carried out in two stages, performing two open operations. The cardiac surgeon said everything went well. However, six months later, Seryozha again had an attack.

Doctors did not allow his son to go to school, so the teachers worked with him at home. For the last six years, every night I went to his bed and listened to see if he was breathing. I was afraid to turn on the music loudly so as not to provoke another attack. Now Seryozha has matured and understands everything, but earlier he was offended that he could not go to school with other children, play football. He always loved to study, prepared for every lesson, after the teachers left, he sat down to read or watch TV, but the last year he began to get tired quickly and even went to rest often during the day. Thank God, after the operation, which was done in Germany, the son feels well, there are no more seizures.

Looking at a cheerful, smiling boy, confidently walking towards me, I can’t believe that due to a congenital heart defect, for the last six (!) years, at the insistence of doctors, he did not go to school. The expenses for the operation, travel and accommodation for Sergei in Germany (which is approximately 25 thousand euros) were covered by the Rotary Club (a worldwide organization of people that provides good deeds to those who need help). After treatment, the guy entered the Nikolaev National University, taking third place in the ranking of applicants. As a sign of gratitude to his saviors, Sergei began to learn German.

“Well, who wants to give 25 thousand euros for the treatment of someone else’s child?” - I thought, but still called the number indicated "

* “When I went to the airport to pick up my son, I expected to see an exhausted child who had undergone a serious operation,” says Maria, the boy’s mother. - But Sergei returned from Germany joyful, a sparkle appeared in his eyes "

- When I was collected in Nikolaev, where now I will study and live in a university dormitory, the first thing my mother put a bag of medicines, - says 17 year old Sergey. - A year ago, I didn’t even go out without pills, but now I take them with me just in case. After the operation, I did not have a single heart attack, and in 2010 - as many as 13! At some point, the heart rate increased, it reached 250-300 beats per minute. It felt like the chest was about to explode. It became impossible to breathe, there was a feeling as if someone's hand was squeezing his throat. Once I felt sick at four o'clock in the morning. Fortunately, the paramedic Olga Vladimirovna lives next door, ran in a few minutes later and injected the medicine - only she could give an injection, my mother's hands were trembling. And somehow they tried to stop the attack for forty minutes. And then I understood everything, but I could not do anything - I lay and suffocated. Now it's in the past. After the operation, I also go to discos, and sometimes I play ball with the guys in the yard.

- Going to the airport for my son, I expected to see an exhausted child who had undergone a serious operation and two flights in one week, - continues Maria. - But Sergei returned from Germany joyful, a sparkle appeared in his eyes. Before my son left, I was so excited that I didn’t even go to the airport - I was afraid to burst into tears, and the child didn’t need any extra worries. He reassured me: “Mom, what is there to be afraid of? They will help us."

Together with his son, another child flew to Germany for an operation: ten-year-old Sasha Zhmur - he also has a congenital heart disease. The guys were accompanied by an interpreter Elena Nikolaevna. As soon as I saw her in Nikolaev, I immediately understood: this person can be trusted. On the phone, the son told how they were met, boasted of gifts. Sasha was operated on the second day after arriving at the clinic, Seryozha on the third.

*Natasha Kolisnichenko is the first Ukrainian child who was operated on under the program of the Rotary Club. Now the girl has become a member of the youth division of the club, helping other children

On the day of the operation, I sat at home clutching my mobile phone. Soon Elena Nikolaevna called me and said that everything went well and she had already seen Serezha. Last night, my son called. On their free days, Rotarians (members of the Rotary Club) living in Germany showed the children the country, took them to the mountains, and invited them to their homes.

Sergei was in the German clinic for eight days. When we arrived home, I tell my son: "Show the scar." And he told me: “Mom, what are you doing! The scar is the last century. It turns out that the surgeons made one small incision in the femoral artery of each leg and inserted a catheter. We even have a video of how the son is transported in a wheelchair from the operating room to the ward. Elena Nikolaevna filmed everything on camera to show us later.

If not for this operation, I don’t know what would have happened to Sergei ... It’s a miracle that there were people who collected 25 thousand euros for the treatment of their son! We have two children, only the husband brings money to the family. When Sergei was in Germany, I did not stop praying for him, and now I pray for those who helped us and other families.

*Together with Sergey, ten-year-old Sasha (center) went to Germany - he also had a congenital heart defect removed. In the clinic, the children were taken care of by representatives of the German Rotary Club, who paid for the treatment.

- How did you find out about the Rotary Club?

- The most amazing thing is that we were not looking for them, but they were looking for us. The president of the Rotary Club of Nikolaev came to the hospital and left our cardiac surgeon Roza Vladimirovna his phone number with a request that we call back. To be honest, I didn’t even take this offer seriously. Our cardiac surgeon had heard of such an organization before. “In your position, you need to grab every opportunity,” she urged me. I thought: “Well, who wants to give 25 thousand euros for the treatment of someone else’s child?” Being in constant anxiety for the life of my son for six years, it was hard for me to believe this. I saw how other children suffer in hospitals, whose parents cannot raise money for the operation.

After my call, we were invited to the Cherkasy medical center, where a cardiac surgeon from Germany, Thomas Sailer, arrived. German doctors examined Seryozha, photographed and entered into the database. The center also invited children who had already been operated on in Germany. We met the parents of a boy from Odessa. They told everything in detail, reassured: "Don't worry, from now on your child is in good hands." To be honest, they were very worried, but they believed that they would really help their son.

Returning home, began to draw up documents. Leonid Ivanovich, one of the Rotarians who received us in Cherkassy, ​​helped to get a passport. When we arrived in Kyiv, at the German embassy, ​​we were also met by Rotarians. There was a feeling that all the necessary doors were opening before us. A few months later, Serezha was operated on by German specialists.

“For thirteen years, Rotarians have paid for operations on 26 Ukrainian children”

To find out more about this organization, I went to Cherkasy, where one of the centers of Rotary clubs in Ukraine is located - Cherkasy Center. In total, there are 34 of them in Ukraine.

— When the German doctors Thomas Seiler and Frank Hoffman come to the Cherkasy medical center, many people want to get an appointment with these specialists, — says Rotary club member Leonid Lashchenko. Parents bring their kids from other cities. Children who have undergone treatment also come.

The program of our club "Children's Hearts" has existed for 13 years. During this time, 26 patients were operated abroad (two children per year). At first glance, this doesn't seem like much. But for many, this opportunity becomes perhaps the only chance for recovery. Over the years, we have not had a single complaint - only letters of gratitude. It must be said that the motto of the Rotarians of the world sounds like this: "Service to society is above all." It is these principles that guide us in helping others.

— On what basis do you select children for treatment in Germany?

- According to the agreement with the German side, we work only with children who have congenital heart rhythm disorders. There are not so many such babies throughout Ukraine. First of all, we pay attention to low-income families who cannot pay for the treatment of children. As a rule, these are residents of villages or families where one of the spouses is engaged in raising a child.

The first girl who was operated on under this program was a nine-year-old resident of Cherkassy, ​​Natasha Kolisnichenko. Now she is a grown woman. Her mother is a teacher, her father could not find a job for a long time. Parents denied themselves everything for three years in order to raise money for their daughter for an operation, but the inflation of 1998 “ate” all their savings in a day. Now Natasha has become a member of the youth division of our Interact club, she helps other children. This year she was elected president of the Rotaract youth movement.

— Do you provide assistance to those children who cannot be helped in Ukraine?

“Ukrainian cardiac surgery is at a high level,” answers Rotarian Valery Tamkov. Almost all types of operations are carried out in our country. We work only with those children whose heart rhythm is disturbed. Who exactly will be operated on in Germany is decided by German cardiac surgeons. For example, if in Ukraine for some reason they cannot intervene on a patient and experts believe that a flight to another country is not too risky, we will undertake to help such a child.

Once we had a boy with severe diabetes. Due to illness, Ukrainian doctors did not dare to operate on him. The child was raised by the grandmother. In Germany, the boy underwent a special procedure - ablation, due to which the heart rhythm is restored.

Who finances such operations?

“The Rotary Club is an organization that provides medical and social assistance, regardless of nationality, political views and religion of a person,” says Sergey Saenko, member of the Rotary Club "Cherkasy Center", director of the First City Gymnasium Cherkasy. — There are more than 32 thousand of our clubs all over the world. Every year, Rotarians make a certain contribution. At the end of the year, the meeting decides how the money will be spent. In addition, wealthier clubs help the less wealthy. For example, the German Rotary Club annually pays for surgeries for two or three Ukrainian children. We, in turn, undertake the preparation of all documents, medical examinations. There were cases when families could not even pay for the road to Cherkasy, and we also did this.

In addition, the Rotary Club in each individual city helps different medical institutions. For example, a few years ago we purchased infusion pumps, devices that can be used to administer medication intravenously in doses. And last year, we purchased 125 functional beds for the Cherkasy regional center "Russkaya Polyana", where children suffering from tuberculosis are treated.

Do you also help children from orphanages?

- If there is a child with such a diagnosis in the orphanage, and he needs an operation, we will be very happy to help. Just need someone to come with him for inspection. You can contact us by writing to an email address or Almost the only document that we require is a certificate from the Kyiv Center for Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery stating that the operation is indeed indicated for the child. All other issues we solve ourselves. In addition, our clubs are engaged in the exchange of young professionals from different countries (this applies to schoolchildren and students). More details about the work of Ukrainian clubs can be found on the Internet.