Supraventricular Tachycardia

Supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) is a general term describing any rapid heart rate originating above the ventricles, or lower chambers of the heart. SVT is an arrhythmia, or abnormal heart rhythm. Specific types of SVT include atrial fibrillation, AV nodal re-entrant tachycardia, and Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome.

SVT generally begins and ends quickly. Many people experience short periods of SVT and have no symptoms. However, SVT becomes a problem when it occurs frequently or lasts for long periods of time and produces symptoms. Common symptoms associated with SVT include palpitations, light headedness, and chest pain. SVT may also cause confusion or loss of consciousness.

Treatment
Treatment of SVT is aimed at correcting the cause of the arrhythmia or controlling the rapid heart rates. SVT can occur because of poor oxygen flow to the heart muscle, lung disease, electrolyte imbalances, high levels of certain medications in your body, abnormalities of the heart's electrical conduction system, or structural abnormalities of the heart. Your doctor will try to correct the cause of the SVT. However, if there is no apparent cause for the SVT, methods of controlling the periods of rapid heart rates are tried. Medications are generally helpful in maintaining a normal heart rhythm. Interventions such as cardioversion or electrophysiology study/catheter ablation may be required to control the SVT. Please refer to these sections for information on these procedures.