There are certain heart conditions that, while they may not be fatal, can certainly be of concern.
There are four basic chambers in the heart - right and left ventricles on the bottom and back of the heart, and two atria on top. There is something called an atrial fibrillation that can cause problems.
"In atrial fibrillation what happens is, the atrium beats sort of on its own very randomly. It fibrillates or quivers. It sort of does this sort of contraction where the ventricle responds to it, but in a very random fashion," said Dr. Nicholas Dang, a cardiothoracic surgeon.
Would you know if you were suffering from atrial fibrillation?
"In terms of symptomotology, because of the quivering, some people are aware of a palpitation or an awareness of their heartbeat, which most of us are usually not used to," said Dang.
Dr. Dang says other symptoms might include lightheadedness, dizziness or in some cases, chest pain.
There are three basic categories of atrial fibrillation - the fluttering may last seven days or less and convert back a normal rhythm on its own. Persistent atrial fibrillation can last more than seven days - and there is the chance of permanent atrial fibrillation. It can be treated.
"The primary goal is to try to reduce that heart rate to less than 100 and ideally close to 80 beats per minute. Secondarily, we try to convert the rhythm back to a normal coordinated function," said Dang.
Dr. Dang says 90 percent of these problems stem from an underlying heart condition - clogged arteries and so forth. His advice?
"I think in general just taking care of your heart and lungs - can help to prevent it, but it happens fairly spontaneously so there's no way of predicting whether it's going to occur or not," said Dang.
