Supraventricular Tachycardia: Ongoing Concerns

Content provided by Healthwise

Ongoing Concerns

Symptoms of atrioventricular reciprocating tachycardia (AVRT), including Wolff-Parkinson-White (WPW) syndrome, usually start during the teen or young adult years. Episodes of WPW can trigger a life-threatening heart rhythm called ventricular fibrillation, although this is extremely rare. Your doctor may recommend that you wear a medical bracelet to alert medical professionals of your condition if you are at risk for ventricular fibrillation.

AV nodal reentrant tachycardia (AVNRT) usually first causes symptoms from the teen years to middle age.

After episodes of supraventricular tachycardia begin, they generally recur. These arrhythmias frequently stop spontaneously or with simple maneuvers, but you may have to take medicines daily if the arrhythmias keep happening. Medicine treatment typically includes beta-blockers, calcium channel blockers, or digoxin. In people with frequent episodes, treatment with an antiarrhythmic medicine can decrease recurrences, and catheter ablation can eliminate the arrhythmia altogether.

When supraventricular tachycardia occurs in someone with significant coronary artery disease, the heart may not receive enough blood to keep up with the demands of the increased heart rate. If this occurs, the heart may not get enough oxygen, potentially causing chest pain (angina) or a heart attack. If tachycardia is left untreated, repeated and long episodes of tachycardia can lead to heart failure. But mild supraventricular tachycardia, with rare and short episodes, does not typically lead to heart failure.

Last updated:	September 17, 2008
Author:	Robin Parks, MS
Reviewed By:	Caroline S. Rhoads, MD - Internal Medicine, Stephen Fort, MD, MRCP, FRCPC - Interventional Cardiology
Editors:	Kathleen M. Ariss, MS, Pat Truman, MATC