What is the difference between heartbeat and heart rate

In daily life, people often mention the word heartbeat, such as "heartbeat too fast", etc., but you will also hear the word heart rate. Everyone knows that heartbeat is more commonly used in daily life, while heart rate is mostly used in medicine. So what do these two represent in medicine and is there any difference between them? Regarding this issue, the following will give you a detailed introduction, you can learn about it.

1. Heart rate

Heart Rate: A professional term used to describe the cardiac cycle, which refers to the number of heart beats per minute, based on the first sound. A normal person's pulse, or arterial pulsation, is 60 to 100 beats per minute, with an average of 75 beats. As the heart contracts and relaxes rhythmically, the arterial wall expands and retracts accordingly, and the pulsation can be felt in the superficial arteries. A normal person's pulse and heartbeat are consistent. Heart rate is usually measured by measuring the pulse.

The normal adult rate is 60 to 100 beats/minute, most of them are 60 to 80 beats/minute, and women are slightly faster; children under 3 years old often exceed 100 beats/minute; the elderly are slower. A heart rate of more than 100 beats per minute in an adult (generally not more than 160 beats/minute) or more than 150 beats/minute in an infant is called sinus tachycardia. It is common in normal people after exercise, excitement, agitation, smoking, drinking and strong tea. It can also be seen in fever, shock, anemia, hyperthyroidism, heart failure and the use of atropine, epinephrine, ephedrine, etc.

If the heart rate is between 160 and 220 beats per minute, it is often called paroxysmal tachycardia. A heart rate lower than 60 beats/minute (generally above 40 beats/minute) is called sinus bradycardia. It can be seen in people who engage in heavy physical labor for a long time and in athletes; pathologically, it can be seen in hypothyroidism, increased intracranial pressure, obstructive jaundice, and overdose or poisoning of digitalis, quinidine, or propranolol. If the heart rate is less than 40 beats/min, atrioventricular block should be considered.

A heart rate that is too fast, exceeding 160 beats/minute, or less than 40 beats/minute, is mostly seen in patients with heart disease. Patients often experience palpitations, chest tightness, and discomfort in the precordial area. A detailed examination should be conducted early so that treatment can be targeted at the cause.

2. Heartbeat

Heartbeat: It refers to the beating of the heart in a common sense and is not a medical term. In layman's terms, it is the same as heart rate.

Under normal circumstances, heart rate and pulse are consistent, but in certain diseases, they are different, such as atrial fibrillation, atrial flutter, etc.

The difference between arrhythmia and arrhythmia

(1) Arrhythmia

Arrhythmia is caused by abnormal excitation of the sinoatrial node or excitation generated outside the sinoatrial node, slow conduction, blockage or conduction through abnormal channels, that is, the origin and (or) conduction disorder of cardiac activity leads to abnormal frequency and (or) rhythm of heart beats. Arrhythmia is an important group of cardiovascular diseases. It can occur alone or in conjunction with other cardiovascular diseases. The prognosis is related to the cause, inducement, evolution trend of the arrhythmia, and whether it leads to severe hemodynamic disorders. It can occur suddenly and cause sudden death, or it can continue to affect the heart and cause its failure.

(2) Heart rhythm disorder

Clinically, arrhythmias are divided into two categories according to the speed of the heart rate when the arrhythmia occurs: rapid and slow arrhythmias. The former is seen in premature beats, tachycardia, atrial fibrillation and ventricular fibrillation, etc.; the latter is common in sinus bradyarrhythmia and various conduction blocks.

(3) Differences between the two

Arrhythmia refers to any abnormality in the location of the origin of the heartbeat, heart rate and rhythm, and impulse conduction. It is a common cardiovascular symptom with a wide range. Relatively speaking, arrhythmia focuses more on abnormalities in heart rate and covers a smaller range.