Palpitations are feelings or sensations that your heart is pounding or racing. They can be felt in your chest, throat, or neck.

You may:

• Have an unpleasant awareness of your own heartbeat
• Feel like your heart skipped or stopped beats

The heart's rhythm may be normal or abnormal when you have palpitations.

See also: Arrhythmia

Heartbeat sensations; Irregular heartbeat; Palpitations; Heart pounding or racing

If you have never had heart palpitations before, see your health care provider.

The following symptoms require immediate attention. Call 911 or your local emergency number:

• Lose of alertness (consciousness)
• Chest pain
• Shortness of breath
• Unusual sweating,
• Dizziness lightheadedness

Call your doctor right away if:

• You feel frequent extra heartbeats (more than 6 per minute or coming in groups of 3 or more).
• You have risk factors for heart disease, such as high cholesterol, diabetes, or high blood pressure.
• You have new or different heart palpitations.
• Your pulse is more than 100 beats per minute (without exercise, anxiety, or fever).

Goldman L. Approach to the patient with possible cardiovascular disease. In Goldman L, Ausiello D, eds. Cecil Medicine. 23rd ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2007:chap 48.