Evaluation of Patients with Palpitations

Abstract

Palpitations are one of the most common problems of outpatients who present to internists and cardiologists. Although usually benign, they are occasionally a manifestation of potentially life-threatening conditions. The physician's fear of missing a treatable condition may lead to the inappropriate use of expensive tests with little diagnostic and therapeutic value. The following discussion will describe the common presentations of palpitations and offer a guide to rational diagnostic testing.Common Presentations: Symptoms and Associated CircumstancesSymptomsPalpitations are described in a myriad of ways, but some specific symptoms are common and useful for narrowing the differential diagnosis.Flip-Flopping in the . . .