Ventricular Tachycardia

Ventricular Tachycardia – General Information

The Ventricular Tachycardia (also known as V-tach or VT) is a type of tachycardia (which is the fast rhythm of the heart which is localized in one of the ventricles of the heart). This medical condition may be a life-threatening one, because it can lead to a ventricular fibrillation (this means that there are uncoordinated contractions of the ventricles of the heart and the heart can not pump the blood correctly) and death. Some of the forms of the Ventricular Tachycardia are benign especially in the young people. The Ventricular Tachycardia is classified on the base of its morphology and it can be monomorphic (meaning that all the beats match each other) or polymorphic (meaning that the beats vary), on the duration of its episodes and it can be non-sustained (which means that the fast heart beats last no more than 30 seconds) and sustained (which means that the fast heart beats last more than 30 seconds), on its symptoms and it can be pulseless (it is associated with no effective pulse and is one of the causes of the cardiac arrest) or with reasonable cardiac output.  This medical condition may also appear and develop in the persons who have normal hearts, structurally and in these cases the disease is called idiopathic V-tach. It usually appears in the young people and although what leads to its appearance it is unknown, it is thought to be a congenital disease. This medical condition can also appear even though the patients seem to have no apparent heart problems and also as a complication of a heart attack, valvular heart disease, myocarditis or cardiomyopathy.

Ventricular Tachycardia – Symptoms

It is well known the fact that any medical disorder (including Ventricular Tachycardia) can trigger a variety of symptoms. Therefore, some of this medical condition's most uncommon symptoms have not been listed (mentioned) here. This is why we strongly recommend you to contact your personal health care provider whenever you develop any unusual, bothersome or unpleasant symptoms. Your personal physician will be able to tell you if you are suffering from this disorder or from any other medical disorder. Here is a list of the most common symptoms that a person who suffers from Ventricular Tachycardia, may experience, although each individual experiences them differently and in some cases the patients can also be asymptomatic: fainting, palpitations and chest discomfort (which is also known as angina). The patients may also feel lightheaded out of the blue and they may also complain of rapid heart beats and shortness of breath. By being a type of arrhythmia, the patient’s heart beats more rapidly and this leads to a less effective blood pumping which leads to a low blood pressure which can cause the fainting (also known as syncope or near-syncope). The normal number of a person’s heart beats usually varies with the age and the pulse is not constant because of many factors which affects them (such as fever, chills, fear, anxiety, physical activity, etc). Other symptoms which the patients suffering from this medical condition may experience are: fatigue, chest pressure, dizziness, chest pain, nausea, vomiting, sweating and headache.

Ventricular Tachycardia – Treatment

In order to establish the diagnostic of Ventricular Tachycardia, the doctor or personal health care provider will ask the patients about their medical history and family history and also about the palpitations (how long do they last, how often do they occur, when do they appear, what symptoms have the patients experienced, if the patients have any other medical disorder which can lead to the Ventricular Tachycardia and if the symptoms appear after the intake of alcohol, medications or caffeine). It is more helpful for the doctor or personal health care provider if the palpitations appear in the moment of the physical examination. The doctors will also examine the vital signs, the pulse, and blood pressure and will listen to the heart sounds and will also search for signs and symptoms of other underlying physical disorders such as an enlarged thyroid (also known as goiter). In the cases of the patients who have palpitations during the visit to the doctor, he will do an electrocardiogram and a heart monitor which will record the rhythm and rate of the heart beats in order for the doctor to establish the correct diagnostic.

The health care provider may also recommend to the patients to do some blood tests in order to check the levels of hemoglobin and red blood cells, to check if there are any abnormalities in the thyroid gland, if the patients have kidney problems or electrolyte abnormalities. In a person who is suffering from acute Ventricular Tachycardia with supraventricular tachycardia the principal aim of the treatment is to slow down the rate of the heart. Patients may receive adenosine in a single intravenous dose which slows the heart rate temporarily in order for the doctor to be able to establish a diagnostic and after that to prescribe the best medication treatments (such as beta-blockers or calcium channel blockers). Some of the patients with Ventricular Tachycardia present specific electrical circuits (such as the Wolfe - Parkinson - White SVT) which are usually treated with high electrical energy and ultrasounds which help in the destruction of the electrical pathway. In the cases of the patients who have this medical condition and are experiencing chest pain, low blood pressure and shortness of breath, the doctors usually use electrical shocks while the patients are under anesthesia which helps the heart to stabilize the beats.

In some of the patients who are suffering from Ventricular Tachycardia the doctors recommend the patients to cough, the hold their breath, to strain or to dunk their face in ice water in order to slow down the heart beats. The doctors may also recommend a cardiac ablation. In this procedure the health care provider introduces one or more catheter through the blood vessels into the heart in the places which he thinks that lead to the abnormal heart beats. These catheters have electrodes at the tips which use radiofrequency energy which helps the heart to normalize the pulse. The doctors may also recommend a medication treatment as we said before, but the drugs can not cure this medical condition, they only ameliorate its symptoms and reduce its episodes.