How do you fix svt

Learn more. Request an Appointment If you are experiencing a medical emergency, call Please do not use this form. New Patients. If this is an emergency, call or visit the nearest emergency room. Close Close Alert. Most likely, your doctor will diagnose SVT through a consultation and a physical exam. Pacemaker placement. If there is damage to the heart's electrical system during the procedure, you will need a pacemaker. This may happen in about 1 out of people. With some types of SVT, where the abnormal cells are not close to the heart's electrical system, there is a smaller risk of needing a pacemaker.

Serious problems. Serious problems include heart attack, stroke, or damage to the heart. They are more likely with certain types of SVT. Your doctor can help you know your risk. Serious problems happen to less than 1 out of every people. Serious problems that might happen also include dangerous blood clots in the lungs.

Less than 1 out of every people die during or soon after this procedure. Weighing the risks and benefits of catheter ablation The benefits may outweigh the risks if: The risks may outweigh the benefits if: You have symptoms that bother you a lot. You don't want to take heart rhythm medicines. Heart rhythm medicines aren't helping. Medicines help, but their side effects bother you a lot. You can't take the medicines because of other health problems.

You have only mild symptoms that don't really bother you. You prefer to try heart rhythm medicines. You aren't bothered by side effects of heart rhythm medicines. Compare your options. Compare Option 1 Have catheter ablation Don't have catheter ablation. Compare Option 2 Have catheter ablation Don't have catheter ablation. Have catheter ablation Have catheter ablation The treatment is done in a hospital and takes 2 to 6 hours. You probably won't be fully awake during the treatment.

You may be lightly sedated or completely asleep. You may have some discomfort, either from having to lie still or from the ablation itself. Talk to your doctor if you are worried about this. Many people go home the same day.

Many people feel a lot better after this treatment. If the treatment works, you won't need heart rhythm medicines anymore. Ablation has serious risks, although they are rare. They include stroke and heart attack.

About 1 out of people might need a pacemaker after ablation. Don't have catheter ablation Don't have catheter ablation When you have an episode, you try vagal manoeuvres, such as bearing down, to slow your heart rate.

You try taking medicines to stop the abnormal heart rhythms. Vagal manoeuvres and medicines relieve symptoms for some people. You don't have to worry about the rare but serious risks of ablation. You continue to have symptoms. Heart rhythm medicines may increase your risk of getting a more serious heart rate problem. You will need frequent checkups so your doctor can watch you closely while you take these medicines.

Personal stories about considering catheter ablation These stories are based on information gathered from health professionals and consumers. What matters most to you? Reasons to have catheter ablation Reasons not to have catheter ablation.

I'm not worried about having a procedure that involves my heart. I'm bothered a lot by my symptoms. My symptoms don't bother me. I don't want to have to take a heart rhythm medicine.

I want to try medicine to relieve my symptoms. My other important reasons: My other important reasons:. Where are you leaning now? Others may have: Palpitations , a feeling that the heart is racing or pounding. A pounding pulse. A dizzy feeling or may feel lightheaded.

How is SVT diagnosed? Your doctor: Will ask if anything triggers the fast heart rate, how long it lasts, if it starts and stops suddenly, and if the beats are regular or irregular. 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.

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.

Pharmacists should counsel patients on the proper use of any prescribed medications, including the proper use, potential adverse effects, contraindications associated with the selected therapy, and the importance of adherence. Patients should also be reminded to maintain routine appointments with their primary health care provider for monitoring and to not use any medications, including OTC products and herbal supplements, without first consulting their primary health care provider. Patients can better manage SVTs by avoiding the use of tobacco, alcohol, and caffeine, decreasing stress levels by incorporating relaxation techniques into their daily routine, eating a balanced diet, and exercising regularly.

Patients should be reminded to immediately seek medical attention if a SVT episode does not terminate within a few minutes after using preventive techniques or if they experience chest pains, palpitations, or episodes of syncope, or if new symptoms manifest or existing symptoms worsen.

As one of the most accessible health care professionals, pharmacists can help to ease the concerns of those patients who experience SVTs by ensuring that they are thoroughly educated about this condition. They can also reassure patients that SVTs can be managed and that they lead normal, productive lives. Gugenja M. Paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia. Medscape Web site. Accessed October 29, Heart rhythm disorders: supraventricular tachycardia. PDR Health Web site.

Accessed October 28, Rapid heartbeat. Heart Rhythm Society Web site. Common types of supraventricular tachycardia: diagnosis and management. Am Fam Physician. Delacretaz E.