Medical Questions » Heart Questions » Question No. 488
| Question: | My wife has been told that her ' funny turns' are due to PAT. Can you tell me who or what is PAT? |
| Answer: | PAT stands for paroxysmal atrial tachycardia. Paroxysmal means occurring suddenly and irregularly for no apparent reason. Atrial refers to the atrium, which is the small upper chamber of the heart, and which regulates the rate at which the heart beats. Tachycardia means ' rapid heart' in Latin, and indicates that the heart is beating far faster than it should. Medical terminology does have some logic behind it!
PAT is relatively common in women, may be triggered by hormonal, emotional or other factors, and is not harmful. Most attacks last only a few minutes, and cause minimal discomfort to the victim. If they last fot longer periods or occur very frequently, medication can be given to prevent them.
There are also a few tricks that can be used to stop the attacks once they have developed. These can be taught by a doctor and include firm massage of the eyeballs, taking a deep breath, closing your throat and trying to breathe out hard to increase the pressure in your chest, and dunking your face in icy water.
The need for treatment depends on the severity and frequency of attacks.
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