Does Your Heart Race? It May be Signs of SVT
Does your heart race for no apparent reason at all? It could be a sign of Supraventricular Tachycardia, also known as SVT; which is when your heart occasionally beats very fast for a reason other than exercise, stress, or high fever
When experiencing SVT the heart’s electrical system doesn’t work right, causing the heart to beat very fast. A normal heart beats around 60-100 times per minute, but during an SVT episode, the heart can beat anywhere from 100-300 times per minute.
Most episodes of SVT are caused by faulty electrical connections in the heart, but what causes the poor connections is unclear. SVT can also be caused by high levels of the heart medicine Digoxin, or the lung medicine Theophylline. Also, some types of SVT may be hereditary, as in Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, or be caused by a lung problem like pneumonia.
To treat sudden episodes of SVT a doctor may prescribe a medicine to take when an episode occurs, or show you some techniques to try and slow your heart rate on your own like coughing, gagging, or putting your face in ice-cold water. These techniques are known as vagal maneuvers.
To ask questions to a doctor directly, request a reminder for NorthShore HealthSystem’s online chat about SVT on February 25, 2010 at 11AM (CST).
Or for more information visit, WebMD.com
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