holiday heart syndrome

Etiology

• weekend or holiday binge drinking

Clinical manifestations

• palpitations
• syncope, dyspnea on exertion, & angina in some patients (rapid ventricular response to atrial fibrillation)

Laboratory

• serum electrolytes, especially serum potassium

Diagnostic procedures

• electrocardiogram
  • supraventricular tachyarrhythmia
    • atrial fibrillation

Radiology

• echocardiography to assess chamber enlargement, LV wall motion abnormalities, LV hypertrophy, valvular heart disease, & systolic dysfunction

Differential diagnosis

• even modest alcohol intake can trigger an episode of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation

Management

• generally resolves rapidly (within 24 hours) with spontaneous recovery with abstinence from alcohol use
• specific antiarrhythmic therapy is usually not indicated
• AV nodal blocking agent (beta-blocker, verapamil, diltiazem) may be needed if the ventricular rate is excessive

More general terms

• syndrome

Additional terms

• atrial fibrillation (AF)