Symptoms and treatment of supraventricular tachycardia

Supraventricular tachycardia refers to ectopic cardiac arrhythmias. It is manifested by a sudden increase in organ contractions, requires immediate treatment.

This is a violation of the heart rhythm, resulting from an increase in the frequency of formation and conduction of impulses in the sinus and atrioventricular nodes, atria.

This pathology is often diagnosed, the course of the disease is individual. Only a doctor can prescribe the correct treatment.

Symptoms of the disease

This disease is especially common among older people. Attacks of the disease are characterized by an unforeseen onset and a sudden cessation. The duration of an abnormal heartbeat can be different: from a couple of minutes to several days (with short breaks).

Before the onset of an attack, the patient feels a significant push in the chest. Sometimes, on the eve of such a crisis, a person may feel dizzy, tinnitus may appear.

In addition, supraventricular tachycardia is indicated by:

• acceleration of the pulse;
• increased heart rate;
• dizziness;
• labored breathing;
• nausea.

The causes of an attack can be violations of the cardiovascular system, vegetative-humoral disorders, alcohol, nicotine, physical, mental overload.

A person begins to feel a pulsation in the neck, in the head. In rare cases, you may feel dizzy, there may be slight pain in the chest area, as well as general discomfort, a feeling of tinnitus.

During an attack, the heart can contract at a rate of 100 beats per minute or more. Darkening in the eyes is possible, a feeling of suffocation, increased sweating, trembling of the fingers, increased intestinal motility, speech disorder, and hemiparesis are often noted. The attack often ends with involuntary urination.

Supraventricular tachycardia is an insidious disease. It can recur almost constantly, over many years.

Such long-term problems tend to lead to dilated cardiomyopathy.

Causes of supraventricular tachycardia

SVT most often begins to develop at a young age. Often the disease is diagnosed in children. Treatment depends on the causes that led to the anomaly.

The disease can be caused by such reasons as:

1. Toxic effects of certain pharmacological agents.
2. Dystrophic transformations of the muscle tissues of the heart (after a heart attack, with cardiosclerosis, defects, etc.).
3. Failure in the humoral system, as a result of which active substances enter the bloodstream.
4. Circulatory disorders.
5. The presence of additional (abnormal) pathways for impulse conduction. This cause can be congenital and acquired (due to myocarditis, cardiomyopathy).
6. Diseases of the thyroid gland, lungs and bronchi.
7. Bad habits.
8. Overload of the nervous system.

Also, such a disease can be caused by increased physical activity on the body or alcohol abuse. Excessive consumption of coffee or strong tea also brings no less harm. Often the symptoms of the disease arise from constant stress.

Treatment and diagnosis

After contacting the clinic, the doctor conducts a survey of the patient and prescribes examinations. To confirm the diagnosis, patients who are on outpatient treatment use 24-hour ECG monitoring. An echocardiogram is used to rule out structural heart disease.

During ultrasound and ECG, the screen of the device shows elevated heart rhythms, small QRS values, but at the same time, the atrial rhythm remains normal. The ECG image clearly shows some triplets. The upper row of teeth with tachycardia is very close to each other.

When conducting an ECG, attention should be paid to the activity of the ventricles. Gastric complexes are considered normal if the fluctuations of neighboring RR intervals do not exceed 10%. In general, this figure is below 5%.

Patients with SVT are also assessed for electrolyte levels and thyroid hormone levels.

The final diagnosis is made only after receiving the full results of the study.

During an attack, it is very important to provide first aid. To do this, press on the carotid artery or the eyeball.

Hospitalization is necessary in such cases as:

• loss of consciousness;
• circulatory disorders;
• manifestation of ischemia.

It is also necessary to hospitalize a person if an intracardiac electrophysiological examination is planned. This is necessary in order to decide whether there is a need for surgical treatment or radiofrequency ablation.

SVT sufferers are not required to follow any diet or food restrictions.

The exception is:

• alcohol;
• coffee;
• strong tea.

It is best to remove them from the diet altogether.

Particular attention should be paid to the state of the body after physical exertion. If they cause symptoms of SVT, then they should be limited.

The goal of medical treatment of tachycardia is to correct anemia, heart failure, and thyrotoxicosis. It is necessary to stop taking drugs (if any) that cause tachycardia. For example, beta-agonists, Eufillin and so on.

If SVT occurs due to panic attacks or mental disorders, you should immediately contact a psychiatrist to prescribe psychotropic therapy.

In the case of uncontrolled treatment with drugs that lower the sinus rhythm, you may feel worse. Therefore, without prior consultation with the doctor, it is unacceptable to use any pharmacological agents.

If the disease manifested itself due to an overdose of glycosides, it is best to cancel them for a while. At the same time, adhere to bed rest to reduce sympathetic stimulation and start taking Diphenylhydantoin to restore electrolyte metabolism.

Treatment of supraventricular tachycardia is divided into two stages:

1. Relief of an attack.
2. development warning.

The first stage of treatment begins with vagal tests. He also needs to educate the patient himself. If the circulation or coronary blood flow is disturbed, electrical cardioversion can be performed. You can also stop the paroxysm with transesophageal stimulation of the heart.

If vagal tests do not bring the desired result, the person's condition can be alleviated with the help of intravenous administration of drugs.

These funds include:

• Trifosadenine;
• Verapamil;
• propranolol;
• Esmolol;
• Procainamide.

Prevention of supraventricular tachycardia is to prevent attacks of the disease. The patient should be attentive to his health, treat pathologies that provoke seizures in time, give up bad habits, and lead a healthy lifestyle.