Age: 73.0
Sex: F
Vaccine: COVID19
Symptoms: Palpitations, Tachycardia
Clinical narrative: Tachycardia; heart started racing and pounding; felt like heart was going to burst;  This is a spontaneous report from a contactable physician.  A 73-year-old female patient received BNT162B2 (PFIZER-BIONTECH COVID-19 mRNA VACCINE, Formulation: Solution for injection, Batch/Lot number: not reported, Expiration date: Unknown) via an unspecified route of administration on 15Jan2021 (73-year-old at vaccination) in arm (unknown which arm) as a Dose 1, single for Covid-19 immunization. The patient's medical history included ongoing anxiety. There were no concomitant medications. On 19Jan2021, the reporter received a message from her about her reaction to the vaccine that frightened the patient. On 15Jan2021, ten minutes after the shot, her heart started racing and pounding. She thought it was going to burst. It went on 5 minutes. Then it paused for 30 seconds, but then continued for 10-15 minutes more. A nurse monitored her vital signs during that time. The patient didn't have any other symptoms of anaphylaxis. She had no coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath, red itchy eyes, throat swelling, or anything. The reported stated that, the patient developed severe tachycardia for about 5 minutes, stopped for about 30 seconds and then started again. The reporter had talked to 2 infectious disease doctors about this. She also sent the patient to see an allergist, but that didn't really get her any further along than before. The patient was reluctant to take the next one but wanted to get vaccinated at the same time. The reporter did a literature search, and any literature with tachycardia in it with the Covid vaccine was only about anaphylaxis. The doctor was not sure that this was anaphylaxis. She felt like it wasn't. She was looking for any knowledge about tachycardia with the Covid vaccine. She did submit a VAERS report. The patient went to a local hospital system where they are vaccinating people older, and people associated with the school system. There was complete control of her symptoms. They are just trying to figure out what to do about the second dose. She was inquiring to see if she should receive the second dose or not. The patient had underlying anxiety, which had been a lifelong problem. The patient said that she had been anxious before, but this was completely different. She felt like her heart was going to burst. She talked to other doctors that wonder if it was a vasovagal reaction. The reporter doesn't think was an anxiety attack either. The doctor though this occurred and then she became anxious. The patient got the vaccine because she was about the right age, and because her husband had multiple significant health issues. She mostly got it to protect her husband. No investigational assessment was reported. The outcome of the events was recovered on 15Jan2021.  A causal relationship between BNT162B2 and Heart started racing and pounding was assessed as being related by the primary source reporter. Method of assessment was Global introspection.  Information on the lot/batch number has been requested. Follow-up attempts completed. No further information expected.