Supraventricular Tachycardia (SVT)
Somewhere along the way, I found Cardiogram; it was a turning point in my journey. One of the main things that attracted me was the design of the app and its continuous heart rate recording feature that mimicked continuous heart rate monitoring of doctor-ordered Holter monitors - Shaquana Graves
image by: Cierra Walton
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SVT and Me (Part 1): What it’s like to experience supraventricular tachycardia (SVT)
Have you ever dreamt of sprinting and being jolted out of your sleep, only to realize it was a dream? Well, that’s what SVT can feel like. Which can lead to physiological reactions that are often misdiagnosed as panic attacks. To further explain, SVT for me felt like mini workout sessions. You can imagine it as if frozen in silence as someone sneaks up behind you and yells, “Boo!!!” Your mental and physical response to the “BOO!” is what SVT felt like to me, sometimes lasting for 5 Mississippi minutes. Thankfully, as a distance runner with great endurance, I was able to fight through the episodes.
Resources
SVT and Me (Part 2): How Cardiogram Allowed My Condition to Be Taken Seriously
Rewind from where we left off in Part 1… I was at work, doing my typical duties (assessing and treating patients, completing diagnostic testing, etc.) when I started receiving alerts from my fitness watch that my heart rate was 180bpm. I also had mild chest pain, a little shortness of breath, and felt lightheaded.
SVT and Me (Part 3)
What is cardiac ablation? We’ll start here. Because really, what is cardiac ablation? Well, it’s when electrophysiologist (remember, an electrophysiologist is a cardiologist that specializes in the treatment of the electricity of the heart) go into the heart with a cardiac catheter (thin flexible tube) and repair or destroy parts of the heart tissues responsible for the arrythmias. The cardiac catheter itself is generally inserted through the groin but, per case, it may be inserted through the neck. Cardiac ablation is usually coupled with an electrophysiology study ahead of the ablation. And an electrophysiology study is simply the cardiologist studying measuring the possible reasons of the arrhythmia.
The Valsalva Maneuver: What it is and how to perform it
From popping plugged-up ears to settling an irregular heartbeat, the Valsalva Maneuver is an effective way to treat some minor medical issues. It’s a series of breathing actions that you can perform on your own—no invasive instruments or medications needed.
Vagal Maneuvers with Supraventricular Tachycardia
Multiple variations of VM have been used in medicine. These include... Bearing Down: Medically referred to as the Valsalva Maneuver, this technique is one of the most common ways to stimulate the vagus nerve. The patient is instructed to bear down as if they were having a bowel movement. In effect, the patient is expiring against a closed glottis. An alternative way to perform a Valsalva Maneuver is to tell the patient to blow through an occluded straw or barrel of a 10 ml syringe for 15-20 seconds. These maneuvers increase intrathoracic pressure and stimulate the vagus nerve.
“Home remedies” for SVT - Pediatrics
There are a few ways a parent or caregiver can provide SVT treatment at home, and these involve stimulating the vagus nerve to return the heart rate back to normal. If your child looks ill during SVT or SVT doesn’t stop with these methods, your child will need care from a professional...
Are There Different Causes for SVT?
An SVT is caused generally in 3 ways: A part or parts of the atria (not the SA node) gives off impulses which can then pass through the heart, overriding the SA node and causing the heart to beat faster (atrial tachycardia) An extra bit of wiring exists within the AV node allowing a short circuit and fast heart rhythm (AVNRT) There is an extra bit of wiring present in the heart between the atria and ventricles or within the atria. This can lead to a short circuit, causing a fast heart rhythm (AVRT) or Wolff-Parkinson-White (WPW) syndrome
Lifestyle Changes to Help Manage Arrhythmia
Examples of vagal manoeuvres: Valsalva manoeuvres – forcing an outward breath against closed airways, Carotid sinus massage – massaging the carotid artery for five to ten seconds, Performing a handstand for 30 seconds, if you can, Dunking or splashing your face with ice-cold water, Straining while holding your breath.
When I was 11, out of nowhere I started to experience tachycardia,
Even once the SVT episodes have started, it may be difficult to diagnose SVT, making it a long and drawn out process before reaching the diagnosis.
SVT and Me (Part 1): What it’s like to experience supraventricular tachycardia (SVT)
To some, SVT episodes can mimic panic attacks, stress, and other mental health illnesses. For me, panic attacks and other mental health issues were foreign, so my episodes felt like bursts of cardio as if I were sprinting then abruptly stopping, leaving me to catch my breath, with low blood pressure, and feeling faint.
Cardiogram
The Cardiogram App transforms your everyday wearable into a clinically-validated heart health monitor.
StatPearls
Supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) is a dysrhythmia originating at or above the atrioventricular (AV) node and is defined by a narrow complex (QRS < 120 milliseconds) at a rate > 100 beats per minute (bpm). Atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia (AVNRT), also known as paroxysmal SVT, is defined as intermittent SVT without provoking factors, and typically presents with a ventricular rhythm of 160 bpm.
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