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Medicine vocabulary · Symptoms and Signs

Palpitations

Meaning in medicine, with examples

/ˌpælpɪˈteɪʃənz/nounCommon term

In medicine, palpitations means: An unpleasant awareness of your own heartbeat, which may feel fast, strong, irregular or as if it is skipping beats.

In Turkish: çarpıntı

How it is used

Almost always plural. Doctors ask patients to tap out the rhythm, and ask about triggers, duration and fainting. Investigations usually include an ECG and sometimes a 24-hour heart monitor.

Example sentences

  1. She's been getting palpitations, mostly in the evening after coffee.

  2. Can you tap out the rhythm of your palpitations on the table for me?

Common collocations

  • episodes of palpitations
  • complain of palpitations
  • palpitations and dizziness
  • fast palpitations
  • ECGShort for electrocardiogram: a test that records the heart's electrical activity using small sticky pads placed on the chest, arms and legs.
  • dizzinessA vague feeling of being unsteady, light-headed or as if the room is moving; patients use the word for several different sensations.
  • symptomSomething a patient feels and reports, such as pain, tiredness or nausea, that may show they have an illness. Doctors learn about it by asking, not by measuring.
  • shortness of breathA feeling that you cannot get enough air or have to work hard to breathe; the medical word is dyspnea (UK: dyspnoea).

More terms: Symptoms and Signs

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This page explains English vocabulary for learners. It is not medical advice.