Stamps Deborah C, Carr Marcella L
Nursing Administration, Newark Wayne Community Hospital, 1200 Driving Park Avenue, Newark, NY 14513, USA.
Crit Care Nurs Clin North Am. 2012 Dec;24(4):519-25. doi: 10.1016/j.ccell.2012.07.007. Epub 2012 Aug 20.
The term "holiday heart" is defined as an acute cardiac arrhythmia or conduction disturbance associated with heavy alcohol intake in individuals with no known heart disease, but in whom heart rhythm is restored to normal with abstinence of alcohol. This article provides a brief overview of the literature on this topic, discusses causes of increased cardiac events during the holiday season, describes a patient profile and the effect on patients' health as well as on their families, and provides suggestions to decrease the risk of holiday heart during the festive season.
