Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsSymptomsCausesTypesTreatment
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Symptoms
Causes
Types
Treatment
Supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) is a family of cardiac arrhythmias that cause an inappropriately rapid heart rate. SVTs originate in the atria, theupper chambers of the heart.
An estimated two to three out of every 1,000 people have SVT, with 62% of cases occurring in women.
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SVT Symptoms
SVT commonly producespalpitations—a feeling of having extra heartbeats or a racing heart.
During an episode of SVT, the heart rate is at least 100 beats per minute but is usually closer to 150 beats per minute. In some people, the heart rate can become substantially faster than that—in some cases, over 200 beats per minute.
In addition, a person can experience:
Typically, SVT and any associated symptoms a person may have occur in discrete episodes. These episodes often begin suddenly and stop suddenly. They can last anywhere from a few seconds to several hours.
The episodic nature of SVT can be misleading, and some people—women in particular—may be misdiagnosed as having anxiety or panic attacks at first, especially because their physical examination may not reveal any abnormalities.
SVT may slightly impact your day or, if it occurs often enough, it can become very disruptive to your life. Fortunately, SVT is only rarely life-threatening.
SVT occurs due to a problem with theelectrical connections in the heart. Usually, the electricity of the heart flows along a set pathway in a specific order.
Sometimes, the heart may form an extra connection that can suddenly disrupt the normal electrical patterns within the heart, temporarily establish new electrical patterns, and produce the arrhythmia.
To rule out other types of tachycardia or an underlying heart disease, your healthcare provider will ask you about any possible factors that may be triggering symptoms.
Adequate treatment usually requires aggressively treating the underlying medical problem.
Arrhythmias are common both in people who have heart disease and people who have a structurally normal heart. According to Braunwald’s Heart Disease, arrhythmias can be harmless. But they can also be a sign of a life-threatening, underlying condition.
There are three types of tachycardia that fall within the umbrella of SVT:
In children and adults, the symptoms of all three SVTs are the same. Infants with SVT may breathe faster than normal, or seem extra fussy or sleepy.
While the range of therapeutic options is also the same, the “optimal” therapy can vary, depending on the type.
Types of Supraventricular Tachycardia
Many people who have only very occasional and time-limited episodes of SVT opt for no specific treatment at all; they simply deal with their episodes as they occur.
Others may utilize a variety of treatments to deal with acute episodes and prevent others from occurring.
Acute Episodes
Acute episodes of SVT almost always stop spontaneously.
However, many people have learned to slow or stop their episodes through a technique called theValsalva maneuver. By stimulating thevagus nerve, this simple, non-invasive technique safely triggers the brain to relax the flow of electricity to the heart.
In some people, a single dose of anantiarrhythmic drugtaken at the onset of SVT can help terminate the episode more quickly.
Preventive Therapies
You may also want to consider continuous therapy aimed at preventing recurrent SVT.
Antiarrhythmic drugs can also be used in an attempt to prevent SVT. But these drugs are often only partially effective, and many of them have the potential to cause significant adverse effects.
With this in mind, and because SVT is a benign arrhythmia that may occur only infrequently, most healthcare providers are reluctant to prescribe continuous antiarrhythmic drug therapy.
What Medications Help Treat Heart Arrhythmias?
A Word From Verywell
SVT, while rarely life-threatening, can cause significant symptoms and can become quite disruptive to a normal life. Fortunately, almost all varieties of SVT can be successfully treated and prevented.
If you have SVT, your best bet is to talk to a cardiac electrophysiologist (a cardiologist who specializes in heart rhythm problems), who can review with you the pros and cons of all the treatment options available for your specific type of SVT.
9 Sources
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American Heart Association.Ablation for Arrhythmias. Reviewed September 30, 2016.
Link MS.Clinical practice. Evaluation and Initial Treatment of Supraventricular Tachycardia.N Engl J Med. 2012;367:1438. doi: 10.1056/NEJMcp1111259Page RL, Joglar JA, Caldwell MA, et al.2015 ACC/AHA/HRS Guideline for the Management of Adult Patients With Supraventricular Tachycardia: A Report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Clinical Practice Guidelines and the Heart Rhythm Society.J Am Coll Cardiol2016;67:e27. doi: 10.1161/CIR.0000000000000311
Link MS.Clinical practice. Evaluation and Initial Treatment of Supraventricular Tachycardia.N Engl J Med. 2012;367:1438. doi: 10.1056/NEJMcp1111259
Page RL, Joglar JA, Caldwell MA, et al.2015 ACC/AHA/HRS Guideline for the Management of Adult Patients With Supraventricular Tachycardia: A Report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Clinical Practice Guidelines and the Heart Rhythm Society.J Am Coll Cardiol2016;67:e27. doi: 10.1161/CIR.0000000000000311
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