Word parts
What it means
A fast heartbeat. It is often the body's normal response to exercise, fever, pain, fear, blood loss, dehydration or low oxygen, but it can also come from a problem in the heart's electrical system. Clients may feel their heart racing or pounding (palpitationpal-pih-TAY-shunThe feeling of your own heartbeat as pounding, racing, fluttering or skipping.Full entry ), dizzy or short of breath. Normal heart rates are higher in infants and children, so the cutoff depends on age.
For the nurse
Count the pulse for a full minute, check the rhythm, blood pressure and oxygen saturation, and look for the cause (pain, fever, bleeding, anxiety, low fluid volume). Report a new fast rate, especially with low blood pressure, chest pain, shortness of breath or dizziness.
In a chart
"HR 128, regular; temp 39.1 °C; client reports feeling flushed."
Remember it
Tachy sounds like "tacky racecar": fast.
At a glance
| Spanish | taquicardia |
|---|---|
| Also written | tachycardic, tachycardias |
Easy to confuse with
bradycardia
A heart rate slower than normal; in an adult, fewer than 60 beats per minute.
Related terms
bradycardia
A heart rate slower than normal; in an adult, fewer than 60 beats per minute.
heart rate
How many times the heart beats per minute.
arrhythmia
A heart rhythm that is not normal: too fast, too slow or irregular.
ventricular tachycardia
A fast heart rhythm that starts in the lower chambers of the heart (the ventricles), usually over 100 beats per minute.
palpitation
The feeling of your own heartbeat as pounding, racing, fluttering or skipping.