Supraventricular Tachycardia

Supraventricular Tachycardia General Information

Supraventricular Tachycardia or SVT is not a very serious medical condition, because most people experience it and live a healthy normal life without any medical restrictions. This type of tachycardia can appear in adolescents, young children or in people who suffer from other heart diseases. This disorder occurs in episodes with stretches of normal heart rhythm in between. In medical terms, Supraventricular Tachycardia is viewed as an arrhythmia (abnormal rhythm of the heart) and described as a rapid heart rhythm that has the origin of the electrical signs either in the AV (atrioventricular) node or in the atria. By definition, these rhythms can be either maintained or initiated by the AV node or by the SA (sinoatrial) node from the atria.

STV may get chronic if it is not discovered in time and managed properly. The main causes that lead to the development of this heart disorder are various and may include one or more of the following: heart failure, pneumonia, chronic lung diseases, atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries), thyroid diseases, smoking, emotional stress, alcohol abuse, pericarditis, drinking too much soft drinks, coffee or tea, rich in caffeine, cocaine abuse and other social habits. Structural irregularities, for example Wolff Parkinson White syndrome, blood clots that migrate into the lung arteries from all over the body or pulmonary emboli may trigger Supraventricular Tachycardia. Cold remedies, digitals or asthma medications may determine an adverse effect, this medical condition. SVT comes and goes very quickly and most people who experience it have no signs and symptoms.

Supraventricular Tachycardia Symptoms

As many other heart disorders, Supraventricular Tachycardia or STV has some specific signs and symptoms that help specialists to differentiate it from other similar conditions. Every person who is suspected of having this medical disorder should be informed about the manifestations of the disease and about their effect on the quality of living. In this second chapter of our presentation we will enumerate some of the most encountered signs and symptoms that are specific for this disorder; if you still have questions regarding this chapter we advise you to contact your health care provider or a trained specialist in heart disorders, called a cardiologist.

Not all patients diagnosed with STV may accuse signs and symptoms; they may suffer from an asymptomatic form of the disease because this heart condition tends to begin and end very quickly. The problem arises when this type of medical condition occurs frequently and lasts for longer periods of time than normally. All the signs and symptoms caused by Supraventricular Tachycardia depend on the overall health of the patient and how fast his or her heart is beating. They are usually mild and do not cause major discomfort or severe complications. Only people who have a damaged heart or suffer from other coexisting medical problems experience more severe symptoms and a greater degree of discomfort than those with a healthy organism. The most common symptoms associated with Supraventricular Tachycardia include one more of the following: pain felt in the chest area, palpitations, confusion, dizziness, light headedness etc.

Supraventricular Tachycardia Treatment

Supraventricular Tachycardia is one of the most common heart disorders and that does not threaten the patient’s life. This medical condition is generally mild, unless the patient suffers from other heart problems. But we strongly advise you to contact your health care provider or any other trained specialist, called a cardiologist as soon as you start experiencing any of the signs and symptoms that we have listed in the anterior chapter and are specific for this disorder. Call 911 for emergency medical help if you experience rapid heart beat, feel short of breath and have pain in the chest; also, avoid driving yourself to the nearest hospital. Your health care provider will ask you some questions about your general health status, lifestyle, your signs and symptoms, medications and about your family and personal medical history. Then, the doctor will perform a physical exam that focuses mainly on the heart, but it can also involve other several organs, for example the lungs. In order to rule out other similar and possible medical conditions and to confirm the diagnosis of Supraventricular Tachycardia the health care provider may demand some tests. The ECG (electrocardiogram) is the most common test that helps identify this heart disorder and sometimes, what causes it. This is a quick and painless procedure that detects the electrical activity of the patient’s heart. ECHO (echocardiogram) is another method of testing that consists in ultrasound examination of the heart and it is used to screen for problems in the structure of the muscles, valves or heart. Electrophysiological study is usually needed if an individual presents a rapid heart beat and his/her body does not respond or tolerate any treatment.

Other common tests are the coronary angiography and cardiac catheterization. Several lab tests can also be done to be sure upon the diagnosis. Blood tests are done to rule out other conditions, such as evidence of heart attack (heart muscle damage) or thyroid dysfunctions. Urine tests check for abnormal levels of drugs that can usually determine the heart to beat faster. After the diagnosis is set, the health care provider can apply the right treatment option. Any therapy for Supraventricular Tachycardia aims to decrease the rate of your heart and to break up the electrical circuits made by the unusual conducting pathways. A treatment option has two stages: healing the severe attacks and then to prevent them to recur. But before applying any treatment, the doctors must find out how severely the functioning of your heart has been damaged. The most commonly used medicines when dealing with Supraventricular Tachycardia include one or more of the following: Adenosine (prescribed as Adenocard), beta blockers of calcium channel blockers, for example Digoxin, prescribed as Lanoxin. These two last options are used only if the patient does not respond or is allergic to Adenosine. This is a short-acting drug that decreases efficiently the rate of your heart and can be administrated IV. If you treat Supraventricular Tachycardia with this medicine, you may develop several side effects, for example nausea, facial flushing, shortness of breath etc.