Is your heart racing?

We get to the heart of the problem with help from the experts at Nuffield Health.

The team of experts at Nuffield Health, Exeter Hospital, are working hard to raise awareness of the symptoms of an irregular heartbeat, known as arrhythmia, and what to do if you suspect you or someone you care about is at risk. These are some signs and symptoms to look out for: a fluttering in your chest; a racing heartbeat (tachychardia); a slow heartbeat (bradycardia); chest pain; shortness of breath; light-headedness, dizziness, fainting or near-fainting.

“With no waiting lists at our hospital we’re able to help people get on with life as quickly as possible”

These symptoms are relatively common and can simply be caused by stress levels or disorders like dehydration and anaemia, but it could be worth getting your heart checked by a GP or cardiologist to make sure that there isn’t a more serious underlying cause.

And if you’re worried about your heart, there’s no need to wait; Nuffield Health, Exeter Hospital provides rapid, convenient and high-quality treatment and is a unique collaboration formed by leading cardiologists to offer the latest techniques in the diagnosis and treatment of heart conditions. Consultant Cardiologist, Dr Matthew Lovell explains why the electrics of the heart can go wrong: “There are many reasons why electrical signalling through the heart can go wrong. These include issues with the heart’s natural pacemaker, conduction problems or damage to the heart muscle, which blocks the electrical signal to certain parts of the heart wall. Malfunction of the nervous system can also lead to problems.”

Therefore, it’s well worth having a check up if you’re experiencing any of the problems listed. Director of Nuffield Health’s Exeter Hospital, Paul Taylor tells us: “People can be missing out on major events and activities in their later years because of waiting for medical tests and treatment. With no waiting lists at our hospital we’re able to help people get on with life as quickly as possible. Even if you don’t have private medical insurance you can access our care by paying for yourself.”

Nuffield Health is a trading charity so it has no shareholders, any profits are reinvested back into its UK hospitals and gyms. It is one of the UK’s leading healthcare organisations and has been looking after people for more than 60 years, meaning you can literally trust your heart in their hands.