Reducing P-R interval on ECG/EKG?

[johnjalr]

Hi everyone

It's great to come across a forum dedicated to our peculiar line of work. I've found plenty of useful information here.

One question: does anybody here know how to reliably reduce one's P-R interval on an ECG? Because of my triathlon training, my P-R interval is very, very slightly out of range, which disqualifies me from certain cardiac studies. All I need to do is bring it down to under 200 (from 204 or so) for 15 minutes while an ECG is performed. One fellow suggested hyperventilating to raise my heart-rate.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Thanks.

[vark]

related, i just didnt make it into a study because my QT was 434 and the cut-off was 430.

is there anything that can help to lower this number, alternatively anything to avoid that can raise the number?

generally, after doing studies for 5 years, i still don't know how to read an ekg. is there a site that can explain it like i'm 5?

[johnjalr]

Here's soing that's been working for me: I just discreetly hyperventilate while the ECG electrodes are being applied. This accelerates my heart rate and thus decreases my P-R interval to an acceptable (ie. under 200) range. Primitive but effective if you're a bline case like me. But I don't know whether it would influence one's QT interval.

Incidentally, if your heart rhythms are slightly abnormal and you want to experiment to push them back into range for the duration of your medical, don't bother investing in one of those home-ECG devices you can score off the internet for a couple of hundred dollars. They're nowhere near sensitive enough to give an accurate reading.

Good luck. See you all in Texas!