Abnormal heart rhythms can present at any age. “Some children when they’re in utero they’ll have abnormal heart rhythm, some babies when they’re born, some kids don’t get them till they’re older childhood to young teenage years,” said Lee Health Pediatric Cardiologist Dr. Mary Sokoloski.
Sometimes they can be serious. “In the extreme, someone could die suddenly from it. That’s why you need to pay close attention. Some kids they just feel heart racing, some kids if they stay in that rhythm for several hours, they can develop abnormal function of the heart, weakening of the heart muscle,” said Dr. Sokoloski.
Common symptoms are chest pain, feeling your heart racing, and a lack of energy. “If it last longer than a half an hour to an hour, you should go to the emergency room other than that if you have relatively mild symptoms, bring it up to your pediatrician. If they think it’s necessary, they will refer to see one of us,” said Dr. Sokoloski.
If the child passes out, they need to see a cardiologist. Also, be mindful of any family history. Cardiologists may ask for a cardiogram to determine what kind of rhythm issue the patient is experiencing. “Some of those don’t need any treatment at all. Some you can treat with very straightforward medicine. Some are very amenable to a minor procedure in the catheterization laboratory. In the extreme, patients may need a pacemaker or device that is planted that can shock the heart,” said Dr. Sokoloski.
While it may be concerning for parents, “The nice thing in pediatric cardiology is that for most children, there is a cure for the abnormality. That’s not everybody, but most children there’s a cure and you can live happy long lives,” said Dr. Sokoloski.
You can learn more about pediatric cardiology by searching for it on Leehealth.org.
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Lee Health in Fort Myers, FL is the largest network of health care facilities in Southwest Florida and is highly respected for its expertise, innovation and quality of care. For more than 100 years, we’ve been providing our community with personalized preventative health services and primary care to highly specialized care services and robotic assisted surgeries.
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