ABC Medical Center > Diseases > Ventricular tachycardia

What is Ventricular tachycardia?

21:56 - 4 May , 2021

Disease

It is a heart rhythm condition in which the heart beats faster than usual (exceeding 100 beats per minute), causing it to be unable to adequately pump blood to the body, so if it is not diagnosed and treated early, it can lead to stroke, heart failure, or cardiac arrest, with fatal consequences.

Ventricular tachycardia is due to a change in the electrical impulses of the heart, caused by any of the following:

  • Congenital heart anomalies.
  • Family history of heart rhythm disorders.
  • Previous heart attacks.
  • Excessive use of tobacco, coffee, drugs, or alcohol.
  • Any abnormality that causes overexertion of the heart muscle or damages its tissue.
  • Deficiency of blood flow to the heart due to atherosclerosis.
  • Electrolyte imbalance.
  • Heart or lung disease.
  • Stress.
  • Reaction to certain medications.

Signs and symptoms Ventricular tachycardia

  • Confusion and daze.
  • Dizziness.
  • Difficulty breathing.
  • Palpitations.
  • Tightness and pain in the chest.
  • Fainting.

See your doctor immediately if you have these symptoms since ventricular tachycardia can put your life at risk.

Possible complications depend on the duration of the tachycardia, its frequency, and rhythm, as well as your heart’s general health conditions, but the following are among the most common:

  • Loss of consciousness.
  • Heart failure.
  • Heart attack.

Diagnosis and treatment Ventricular tachycardia

Your doctor, in addition to reviewing your symptoms and medical history, will perform a physical examination and order the following tests to verify the diagnosis:

  • Coronary angiography.
  • Echocardiogram.
  • Electrocardiogram.
  • Event monitor.
  • Holter monitor.
  • Chest x-ray.
  • MRI.
  • Stress test.
  • Tilt table test.
  • Electrophysiological test.
  • Computed tomography.

Treatment will depend on the cause of your tachycardia, but antidysrhythmic medications will likely be prescribed to restore normal heart rhythm.

For sustained ventricular tachycardia, you will need to be treated with a defibrillator, and there are various surgical procedures to prevent future episodes, including catheter ablation and placement of an implantable defibrillator.

At the Cardiovascular Center, we offer you a wide range of prevention, diagnosis, timely treatment, and follow-up services to take care of you through a comprehensive and multidisciplinary care model. Come to us, we want to hear your heart.

Fuentes:

  • texashaert.com
  • secardiologia.es
  • mayoclinic.org
  • medlineplus.gov
  • msdmanuals.com
  • fundacionmexicanadelcorazón.org
  • medigraphic.org
  • Dorantes SM, Castro HJA, Castañeda CO. Role of the Purkinje system and right ventricular outflow tract in malignant ventricular arrhythmias and sudden death. CorSalud. 2020;12(1):77-84.
  • Bautista-Vargas, William-Fernando. Pre-síncope y ablación de la contracción ventricular prematura con origen en la banda moderadora. Cardiovasc Metab Sci. 2020;31(4):131-136. doi:10.35366/97545.
  • Cueva-Parra Á, Neach-De la Vega D, Ortiz-Solís W, et al. Protocolo para la prevención de arritmias ventriculares debido al tratamiento en pacientes con COVID-19. Cardiovasc Metab Sci. 2020;31(Suppl:3):222-228.
  • Añas-Méndez ML, Aquino-Bruno H, Enriquez-Silverio A, et al. Cardioversión eléctrica de taquicardia ventricular en el embarazo: reporte de un caso. Ginecol Obstet Mex. 2019;87(05):319-323.

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