This test measures the heart's electrical activity and can record SVT episodes. How is it treated? Show you how you can slow your heart rate on your own with physical actions.
These actions are called vagal maneuvers. They include bearing down or putting an ice-cold, wet towel on your face. Bearing down means that you try to breathe out with your stomach muscles but you don't let air out of your nose or mouth. Your doctor might recommend that you do these actions while you lie down on your back. Your options may include: Take medicine every day to prevent the episodes or slow your heart rate.
Try catheter ablation. This procedure destroys a tiny part of the heart that causes the problem. What can you do at home to prevent SVT? Examples of things you can try: Limit or do not drink alcohol. Don't smoke. Avoid over-the-counter decongestants, herbal remedies, diet pills, and "pep" pills. Don't use illegal drugs, such as cocaine, ecstasy, or methamphetamine. Health Tools Health Tools help you make wise health decisions or take action to improve your health.
Decision Points focus on key medical care decisions that are important to many health problems. Cause Two common types of supraventricular tachycardia—atrioventricular reciprocating tachycardia AVRT and atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia AVNRT —are caused by an abnormal electrical pathway in the heart and often occur in people who do not have any other type of heart disease. Symptoms Symptoms of supraventricular tachycardia include: A racing or fluttering feeling in the chest palpitations.
Chest discomfort pressure, tightness, pain. Lightheadedness or dizziness. Fainting syncope. Shortness of breath. You may feel or see your pulse beating, especially at your neck, where large blood vessels are close to the skin.
Tightness or fullness in the throat. Tiredness fatigue. Excessive urine production. What Increases Your Risk Some lifestyle factors can raise your risk of having an episode of supraventricular tachycardia SVT , such as overuse of nicotine or alcohol, or use of illegal drugs, such as stimulants like cocaine or methamphetamine. When to Call a Doctor Call or seek emergency services immediately if you have a fast heart rate and you: Faint or feel as though you are going to faint. Have severe shortness of breath.
Have chest pain. Have symptoms of a heart attack or stroke. If you have a pacemaker Call your doctor right away if you have symptoms that could mean your device is not working properly, such as: Your heartbeat is very fast or slow, skipping, or fluttering. You feel dizzy, lightheaded, or faint. You have shortness of breath that is new or getting worse. Who to see Health professionals who can evaluate symptoms of a fast or irregular heartbeat include: Family medicine doctors.
Nurse practitioners NPs. Physician assistants PAs. Exams and Tests An exact diagnosis is important because the treatment you receive depends on the type of tachycardia you have.
Tests that may be done to monitor your heart and diagnose the type of fast heart rate that you have include: Electrocardiogram EKG, ECG , which measures the electrical impulses in the heart. If an electrocardiogram is done while the fast heart rate is occurring, it often provides the most useful information.
Ambulatory electrocardiogram. A portable EKG, such as a Holter monitor, can record your heart rhythm on a continuous basis, usually over a to hour period. If your symptoms are infrequent, your doctor may use another type of ambulatory electrocardiogram called a cardiac event monitor. When you have symptoms, you activate the monitor, which records your heart rhythm. Electrophysiology study. In this test, flexible wires are inserted into a vein, usually in the groin, and threaded into the heart.
Electrodes at the end of the wires transmit information about the heart's electrical activity. Your doctor uses this information to see whether there is an extra electrical pathway inside the heart and, if so, where it is located.
Catheter ablation can be done during this test to treat abnormal pathways and correct the supraventricular tachycardia. These tests may include: Blood tests to check thyroid function and electrolyte levels. Echocardiogram to see how well your heart is working. Supraventricular tachycardia is usually treated if: You have symptoms such as dizziness, chest pain, or fainting syncope that are caused by your fast heart rate.
Your episodes of fast heart rate are occurring more frequently or do not revert to normal on their own. Treatment for sudden-onset acute episodes When episodes of supraventricular tachycardia SVT start suddenly and cause symptoms, you can try vagal maneuvers. Ongoing treatment of recurring supraventricular tachycardia If you have recurring episodes of supraventricular tachycardia, you may need to take medicines, either on an as-needed basis or daily.
Ongoing Concerns If supraventricular tachycardia occurs in someone who has significant coronary artery disease , the heart may not receive enough blood to keep up with the demands of the increased heart rate. Prevention You can reduce your risk of having episodes of supraventricular tachycardia by avoiding certain stimulants or stressors, such as nicotine, some medicines for example, decongestants , illegal drugs stimulants, like methamphetamines and cocaine , and excess alcohol. Living With Tachycardia Home care includes monitoring your supraventricular tachycardia SVT and trying to slow your heart when a fast heart rate occurs.
More information What foods or supplements affect my heart rhythm? Can I have sex? How can I exercise safely? How do I travel safely? Is it safe for me to drive? Medications If you have symptoms, medicines may be used to treat supraventricular tachycardia.
Medicine choices For severe symptoms, such as chest pain, shortness of breath, or feeling faint, you may be given fast-acting antiarrhythmic medicines by health professionals in the hospital emergency department, where your heart can be monitored.
Fast-acting antiarrhythmic medicines commonly used to slow the heart rate during an episode include: Adenosine. Calcium channel blockers.
For most people, SVT is not dangerous. The heart continues to work normally, pumping blood through the body. Some patients with SVT, which generally first arises in people in their teens and 20s, may have no symptoms, going in and out of the arrhythmia quickly. Others have symptoms, such as palpitations, a racing heart, sweating and feeling lightheaded or dizzy.
SVT can become a problem requiring treatment if it lasts a long time or causes shortness of breath or chest pain. SVT can be diagnosed by your doctor through a physical exam and questions about what triggers your fast or irregular heart rate. You may have to temporarily wear a portable EKG to pick up events as they occur.
Another maneuver can be described as blowing into your fist as if it is a trumpet mouthpiece. Some people may not have a noticeable trigger. In a typical heart rhythm, a tiny cluster of cells at the sinus node sends out an electrical signal. The signal then travels through the atria to the atrioventricular AV node and into the ventricles, causing them to contract and pump blood.
Supraventricular tachycardia is an abnormally fast heartbeat. It occurs when faulty electrical connections in the heart set off a series of early beats in the upper chambers of the heart atria. SVT starts above the heart's ventricles supraventricular in the two upper chambers or a cluster of cells called the atrioventricular AV node.
To understand how this occurs, it can be helpful to understand how the heart beats. Your heart is made up of four chambers — two upper chambers atria and two lower chambers ventricles.
The rhythm of your heart is normally controlled by a natural pacemaker the sinus node in the right upper chamber atrium. The sinus node sends out electrical signals that normally start each heartbeat. These electrical signals move across the atria, causing the heart muscles to squeeze and pump blood into the ventricles. Next, the signals arrive at the AV node. The AV node slows down the electrical signals.
This slight delay allows the lower heart chambers to fill with blood. When the electrical signals finally get to the muscles of the ventricles, the lower heart chambers squeeze contract , which pumps blood to the lungs or to the rest of the body.
In a healthy heart, this heart signaling process usually goes smoothly, resulting in a normal resting heart rate of 60 to beats a minute. SVT occurs when faulty electrical connections in the heart set off a series of early beats in the atria. When this happens, the heart rate becomes so fast so quickly, the heart doesn't have enough time to fill with blood before the chambers contract. As a result, you may feel light-headed or dizzy because your brain isn't getting enough blood and oxygen.
Supraventricular tachycardia is the most common type of arrhythmia in infants and children. It also tends to occur more often in women, particularly pregnant women, though it may occur in anyone. Over time, untreated and frequent episodes of supraventricular tachycardia may weaken the heart and lead to heart failure, particularly if there are other coexisting medical conditions. In extreme cases, an episode of supraventricular tachycardia may cause unconsciousness or cardiac arrest.
To prevent an episode of supraventricular tachycardia, it's important to know what triggers the episodes to occur and try to avoid them. Healthy lifestyle changes can help protect your heart. You might want to try:.
For most people with supraventricular tachycardia, moderate amounts of caffeine do not trigger an episode of SVT. Large amounts of caffeine should be avoided, however. Consider keeping a diary to help identify your triggers. Track your heart rate, symptoms and activity at the time of an SVT episode. Supraventricular tachycardia care at Mayo Clinic. Mayo Clinic does not endorse companies or products.
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