What is svt medical condition

Jump to content. Supraventricular tachycardia SVT is a rapid heart rate tachycardia usually caused when electrical impulses originating at or above the atrioventricular node, or AV node part of the heart's electrical control system which controls rate are out of synch. When a person goes into this arrhythmia, the heart beats at least beats per minute and can be as high as beats per minute. People with SVT may go into this arrhythmia from time to time unrelated to exercise, stress or other common causes of a rapid heart rate.

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. Supraventricular tachycardia virtually never causes sudden death. Patients with SVT usually do not have any symptoms when they are not having these attacks. An ECG is a test which records the electrical activity of the heart. This is a type of ultrasound that captures moving pictures of the heart.

An ECG, echocardiogram and a physical exam are usually normal if they are performed after the tachycardia fast heartbeat stops, so it is important to obtain an ECG while your child is having the symptoms.

An accurate ECG will allow for the correct diagnosis and appropriate treatment for your child. Your doctor may also refer your child to an electrophysiologist, a cardiologist who has additional education and training in the diagnosis and treatment of abnormal heart rhythms. Supraventricular tachycardia episodes usually stop on their own. Many babies with SVT will outgrow the arrhythmia by their first birthday.

For children who continue to have SVT symptoms, treatment may include:. Older children can learn to do vagal maneuvers to try to slow or stop an episode of fast heart rate. Vagal maneuvers may include:. When tachycardia does not stop on its own or with vagal maneuvers, we may recommend a daily medication to prevent SVT from occurring. While babies with supraventricular tachycardia commonly outgrow the arrhythmia, older children usually do not.

Depending on your child's age and the severity and frequency of symptoms, the cardiologist may recommend a catheter ablation procedure to permanently eliminate SVT. During ablation, several large IVs small plastic tubes are placed in the main blood vessels in the legs. However, in extreme cases, an episode of SVT may cause unconsciousness or cardiac arrest. Call your doctor if you have an episode of a very fast heartbeat for the first time, and if the abnormal heartbeat lasts longer than a few seconds.

Some signs and symptoms may be related to a serious health condition. Call or your local emergency number if you have an episode of SVT that lasts for more than a few minutes, or if you have an episode with any of the following symptoms:.

SVT occurs when the electrical signals that coordinate your heartbeats don't work properly. For some people, a supraventricular tachycardia episode is related to an obvious trigger, such as exercise, stress or lack of sleep.

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.

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