My Heart MOT

After getting some erratic readings on the heart rate monitor I wore when cycling, I went for a series of cardiac tests. The first of these was a cardiac treadmill test. Sensors were attached to my chest, linked to an ECG machine, then the treadmill started to roll. It was easy at first, but the speed and the incline steadily increased until I was running up a steep hill. The tester told me to keep going until I could do no more; I managed a little over ten minutes in total. Next I had a cardiac CT scan, where dye was injected into my arm to highlight the coronary arteries. This was followed by a Holter ECG monitor, which I wore for 24 hours, to record my heart rhythms whilst awake and sleeping. Finally, I had an Echocardiogram, an ultrasound scan which checked my heart muscle and valves to assess how well my heart was functioning. After all of these, I returned to the hospital to meet the cardiologist and hear the verdict. I was very anxious, I felt sure the erratic readings I’d got whilst cycling indicated some serious underlying heart problem. So I'd been taking it easy.

The cardiologist began with the CT scan results. My coronary arteries were in very good shape for a man of my age. I had minimal narrowing and the plaque was calcified, so I was at low risk of a coronary heart attack. My echocardiogram was normal and my treadmill test score put me in the top 2% of my age group. My heart was working well for someone of my age. I beamed. Despite my wild youth, the subsequent years of healthy living and plenty of exercise had stood me in good stead.

‘But you do have an ectopic heartbeat’, he said.

‘Oh’, I said, my poor heart sinking. ‘What’s that?’

‘Your heart puts in an extra beat’, he said, ‘between the normal beats. The ECG monitor recorded it happening for 10% of the time.’

‘Oh dear... Is it serious?’

‘No,’ he said. ‘Not when your heart is healthy. Ectopic beats are common and nothing to worry about.’

‘Why does it happen?’

‘Different parts of your heart muscle can create a beat’, he said. ‘The extra beat can be caused by stress, or stimulants like coffee, or even by exercise itself. The extra beats often confuse a heart rate monitor.’

So that’s where the erratic readings came from. My pulse racing, I asked him the big question. “Can I restart cycling?’

He nodded. ‘That would be good for your heart.’

‘Up and down hills as well?’

‘There is a risk in everything’, he said. ‘But I can see no reason why you should not engage in moderately strenuous exercise.’

I grinned and thanked him. I might have plenty of miles on the clock, but I’d passed my cardiac MOT.