When an irregular heartbeat should send you to the doctor

You may chalk up that flutter in your chest to too much rich food during the holidays, or think that your heart skips a beat here or there in response to the upcoming tax season. For most people, those occasional irregularities are harmless. But if your irregular heart rhythms are combined with a diagnosis of heart failure, they can be serious – and ignoring them may make your condition worse.

Your heart is essentially a powerful electric pump. If a breakdown occurs in the heart’s complex internal communication system, it can cause your heart to beat irregularly. It’s possible for healthy people to experience occasional irregular heart beats. But if you already have heart problems, you should be aware of the symptoms of an irregular heart beat.

On its Web site www.abouthf.org, the Heart Failure Society of America points to these common symptoms of an irregular heart beat:

* If your heart skips a beat, flutters or pounds in your chest.
* You experience dizziness or feel "light-headed."
* You experience sudden shortness of breath not related to physical exertion.
* You feel inexplicably weak from time to time.
* You faint or suddenly lose consciousness.

You can learn more about irregular heart rhythms and heart failure at www.abouthf.org, the Web site of the Heart Failure Society of America.