Pulsus Alternans

Pulsus alternans is a arterial pulse waveform showing alternating strong and weak beats with physical findings. In many patients Pulsus alternans always indicator of left ventricular systolic impairment, and carries a poor prognosis.c If left ventricular of the heart dysfunction, the ejection fraction will decrease significantly, causing reduction in stroke volume, hence causing an increase in end-diastolic volume. In its initial stage it may be a tachycardia as a compensatory mechanism to try and keep the cardiac output constant. As a result, during the next cycle, myocardial muscle and systolic phase will stretch harder than usual and as a result cause an increase in myocardial contraction and hence a stronger pulse is felt.

There are some symptoms associated with pulsus alternans like palpitation, heart rhythm symptons and arrhythimias. Palpitation happened when a person can sense his own heartbeat, and believes it to be unusual or abnormal. Many patients describe palpitation as racing heartbeat, rapid heartbeat, slow heart beat, irregular heart beat.

Heart rhythm can also be useful in finding pulsus alternans, if you feel any change in the rhythm then it might be an alarming and it may lead you to suffer from the pulsus alternans.

In case of any kind of change in your heart rhythm or sound you are advised to visit your doctor as soon as possible. Your doctor can be your best adviser at that position and if you found a patient then you have to follow the prescriptions of the doctors. Obviously it would not be easy but to prevent yourself from further damage or loss you have to follow your doctor.

Pulsus alternans can be harmless until or unless you cure it on initial stage and don’t ignore it. If ignore it then it would be harmful and can lead you to fatal consequences.