What could be wrong if your 71-year-old dad's heart starts to beat 130 per minute and his blood pressure drops to 90-50 and this has happened twice in the last month?

Intermittent or recurrent sudden increases in heart rate, with a

drop in blood pressure, suggest possible supraventricular

tachycardia, atrial fibrillation, or some other cardiac

dysrhythmia. The sudden increase can be caused by

medications(stimulants), stress, or an underlying abnormality of

the heart. A elderly patient experiencing this with a drop in blood

pressure most likely has some type of underlying cardiac disease,

such as coronary artery disease (hardening of the arteries of the

heart)that has not been detected or diagnosed yet. The patient

should be seen by their physician or a cardiologist. The testing

that may be performed include an laboratory studies, EKG, holter

monitor, echocardiogram, stress testing, and possibly cardiac

catheterization. I have no doubt your father is being treated for

his heart problems. It is extremely important he works closely with

the family doctor and also the Cardiologist. If you have a good

Cardiologist then phone him/her and let them know what is going on.

71 isn't all that old.