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SVT, fast resting hr?
Hello, I'm 29female, diagnosed with svt 3yrs ago, declined ablation, used toprol xl for a time but currently not taking any svt meds. At diagnosis I was having near constant episodes, holter recorded several the worst a sustained hr >180 for 4hrs. The last ekg said sinus tach 186 and possible atrial abnormality. I haven't seen my cardiologist in 2yrs, he felt I could go without meds since lifestlye changes (no caffeine) and time seemed to have improved it. I had what I believed to be an episode of afib 3yrs ago, hr suddenly became so fast it was uncountable for about 10sec, then returned to normal. 1) Is this dangerous and what is the likelihood of it recurring? Currently I have between 1-4 episodes of svt a month. 2)What are the short term and long term risks of this? I am currently undergoing fertility treatments ok'd by my cardiologist 3yrs ago. 3)Is there a strong likelihood the svt will worsen with pregnancy? My resting hr stays 100+, 2 days ago was 144 just from sitting on the couch watching tv. 4)What are the long term risks of this and is it svt related? My dr says I don't have anxiety, I do have endometriosis and pcos, 5'5" 122lbs. On Zoloft for infertility related mild depression. Thanks for your time, em
I got an appt with my gp next week, the one who originally diagnosed all this so he has all my records. Going to tell him about the fast resting hr and the svt still happening 1-4x per month and see if he wants to do anything. Like you all said, I wouldn't mind an echo or another ekg, wouldn't mind going back on that toprol for a time if he thinks it's appropriate. I may get sent back to that cardiologist to talk about ablation which was originally recommended but don't want to think about that right now, just take one step at a time. Thanks Dr mjm and everyone else for your input :)
Thank you for clearing that up. I had read that SVT in WPW can cause serious issues, I wasn't even thinking of that when I read earlier.
emilycaitlin - I'd heard what you said too about people having accidents due to arrhythmias. It happens. Fortunately it takes rigorous exercise or, rarely, being extremely upset (like being in a big argument with my heart racing and pounding) to induce mine. So far.
emilycaitlin - I'd heard what you said too about people having accidents due to arrhythmias. It happens. Fortunately it takes rigorous exercise or, rarely, being extremely upset (like being in a big argument with my heart racing and pounding) to induce mine. So far.
"It is unlikely that is life threatening, but it is possible."
SVT CAN BE LIFE THREATENING!??
SVT CAN BE LIFE THREATENING!??
Hey anacyde, i picked up on that too. This is what my dr told me when I was first diagnosed, I remember it almost exactly: SVT in itself is not a lethal rhythm, it can however change over or lead into rhythms that are lethal. Most people who die from svt die from sudden fainting when they are behind the wheel of a car.
Ok I know there are several specific types of svt kind of lumped into one category, I have no idea if he was meaning my specific type or svt in general. I don't even know what my type is, they never said. Have you heard anything like that?
Ok I know there are several specific types of svt kind of lumped into one category, I have no idea if he was meaning my specific type or svt in general. I don't even know what my type is, they never said. Have you heard anything like that?
Didn't mean to cause a panic with that line "it is unlikely that is life threatening, but is possible."
An accessory pathway, like a WPW syndrome that conducts very quickly can be life threatening in the right circumstance -- specifically atrial fibrillation. People with accessory pathways are more likely to develop AF, at least until the accessory pathway is ablated. In this cause it sound more likely that she has either inappropriate sinus tachycardia or a variant there of, but I would need to see the EKG and holter data to have a better idea.
The likelihood of SVT being life threatening is very remote, but not impossible.
I hope this clears up my comment. The last thing I want to do is cause alarm.
An accessory pathway, like a WPW syndrome that conducts very quickly can be life threatening in the right circumstance -- specifically atrial fibrillation. People with accessory pathways are more likely to develop AF, at least until the accessory pathway is ablated. In this cause it sound more likely that she has either inappropriate sinus tachycardia or a variant there of, but I would need to see the EKG and holter data to have a better idea.
The likelihood of SVT being life threatening is very remote, but not impossible.
I hope this clears up my comment. The last thing I want to do is cause alarm.
svt very rarely comes on during sleep.. typically tachycardia that comes on during sleep is anxiety related
I hope you don't mind me jumping on this thread but last night, I had a really scary episode. It was about 11pm and I woke suddenly with a rapid heart beat (too fast to count, but I'm guessing around 200). I got out of bed and felt very strange, tingling hands and weak, like I was going to pass out. This lasted for about 15 mins, then heart slowed to about 90 and stayed like that for the rest of the night. My stomach then started playing up and I had to go to the toilet a couple of times. I went back to bed, but my heart was so strong it felt like the bed was vibrating and I'm sure the whole street could hear it. It really scared me (it has happened once or twice before) and this morning, I feel totally drained and have slight chest pain. Does this sound like SVT? I did have a reflexology session in the afternoon and a chinese takeaway in the evening. I get PVC's though they don't bother me now, and I had a normal Echo about 18 months ago and wore a 24 holter which didn't show much, only a few PVC's. I get so scared when this happens. If it wasn't for the fact that my two year old woke up too and I had to comfort her during the night, I would have been much worse I think. Thanks for listening.
Hey there,
I have svt and what you described is something that I had happen to me, and it was an svt episode. There is nothing more terrifying than waking up out of sleep in one. I only had it happen once. But it was horrible. Lasted 15-20 minutes. That was when I finally went in and told them it wasn't just anxiety attacks and they need to keep looking. Does your heart seem to skip during it too? Mine does. I agree with Emily, you need to get a 30 day event monitor and see, because I've had all the work up done for 6 years now, and after the third holter they finally caught it. If you only have an episode very rarely, a 24hr holter isn't going to catch it. Hopefully this was just a one time thing for you, or maybe just an anxiety attack. I have heard of many people having anxiety attacks where they wake from a deep sleep with their hearts racing, but I don't know if it goes as high as 200. Good luck, Michelle
I have svt and what you described is something that I had happen to me, and it was an svt episode. There is nothing more terrifying than waking up out of sleep in one. I only had it happen once. But it was horrible. Lasted 15-20 minutes. That was when I finally went in and told them it wasn't just anxiety attacks and they need to keep looking. Does your heart seem to skip during it too? Mine does. I agree with Emily, you need to get a 30 day event monitor and see, because I've had all the work up done for 6 years now, and after the third holter they finally caught it. If you only have an episode very rarely, a 24hr holter isn't going to catch it. Hopefully this was just a one time thing for you, or maybe just an anxiety attack. I have heard of many people having anxiety attacks where they wake from a deep sleep with their hearts racing, but I don't know if it goes as high as 200. Good luck, Michelle
Hi hun, it's fine to jump in here. I'm not very good at giving advice, only know what mine feels like, but mine has never woken me up from sleep like that. I've never felt like passing out either during an svt attack but my dr did say fainting was possible. I've never had a chest pain either. You said you had a holter and an echo, have you had an event monitor? Those are sort of like holters but you wear them for about a month, can take them on and off and they're not as bulky as the Holter. Maybe something like that could catch what you're having and the dr's could see it and tell you what it is. Hope you feel better soon, em
Hi ladies, thanks for your replies and well-wishes. I'm going to the fertility dr on the 28th so just trying to get some ideas on all this before I start taking all those fertiliy pills/injections (yuck!!) but it will be worth it if it works. I feel great most of the time, have alot of pac's but not bothered by them, barely notice my heart rate till it approaches 150, but when I do check it's always 100+, right now is 105 but it doesn't bother me at all, but I'd hate to start having major probs and then regret not being educated enough that I could have done something. Collegegirl, glad to hear the ablation worked out well for you, it's nice to hear success stories about it, and anacyde it's always nice to hear about someone who overcame infertility issues :) Thanks for the advice!
ya i agree, getting an echo done now would be a good idea since you are trying to get pregnant (good luck!) and since you have been experiencing these high resting heart rates. Pregnancy can make this worse so be sure you talk with your doc. Ive had an ablation myself for svt and it wasnt bad at all and made me feel 100% better :) good luck
You sound a lot like me. Went through the whole infertility thing, due to endometriosis, but ended up getting pregnant on my own anyhow (go figure!). For me, I hadn't had any major SVT episodes since I was diagnosed at 16, but I did have a handful of very short PSVTs during both pregnancies - so in my experience it can aggravate it.
As was mentioned, I don't think it would be unreasonable to get an echo before you begin a pregnancy. I'm a little overly sensitive to that since I just recovered from a borderline cardiomyopathy diagnosis caused by pregnancy. If a possible atrial abnormality was noted on your EKG, just make sure everything is good before you put the stress of pregnancy on your heart.
As was mentioned, I don't think it would be unreasonable to get an echo before you begin a pregnancy. I'm a little overly sensitive to that since I just recovered from a borderline cardiomyopathy diagnosis caused by pregnancy. If a possible atrial abnormality was noted on your EKG, just make sure everything is good before you put the stress of pregnancy on your heart.
thanks collegegirl, I have had an echo 3yrs ago which was normal, also a normal stress test, my heart actually feels best when I exercise. I'm so scared of the ablation, I've heard from some it's not too bad though. I keep procrastinating it hoping this will go away with time. I've had my thyroid checked 3x too and that was normal, not sure what causes all this.
having that high of a resting heart rate sustained over time can lead to things such as cardiomyopathy.. have you ever had an echo? Maybe you should consider the ablation since your episodes are sustained and frequent. Svt is not life threatening but if you develope cad it can become a serious problem.
Hello Emily,
1) Is this dangerous and what is the likelihood of it recurring? Currently I have between 1-4 episodes of svt a month.
It sounds like you are an excellent candidate for an EP study and possible ablation. The likelihood of episode like this recurring are very high. It is unlikely that is life threatening, but it is possible. The only way to know is an EP study. I am assuming that the diagnosis is not already known and the diagnosis is not inappropriate sinus tachycardia. Inappropriate sinus tachycardia is not a life threatening arrhythmia, but does significally affect quality of life.
2)What are the short term and long term risks of this? I am currently undergoing fertility treatments ok'd by my cardiologist 3yrs ago.
Most of the short term consequences are just the symptoms caused by the tachycardia. Long term tachycardia, if sustained, can lead to a cardiomyopathy. It is unlikely that you have this degree of tachycardia if your doctor is ok with you being off medications.
3)Is there a strong likelihood the svt will worsen with pregnancy?
It all depends on the cause of the tachycardia. Some of the comments you have made suggest it may be inappropriate sinus tachycarda, but I am not sure. It is possible that it may worsen during pregnancy.
4)What are the long term risks of this and is it svt related?
Again, I wish I could answer this question. To understand the potential causes, I would have to know what the cause of your SVT is. There are so many different possibility for causes, I am not sure how to advise you.
I hope this answers some of your questions. Good luck and thanks for posting.
1) Is this dangerous and what is the likelihood of it recurring? Currently I have between 1-4 episodes of svt a month.
It sounds like you are an excellent candidate for an EP study and possible ablation. The likelihood of episode like this recurring are very high. It is unlikely that is life threatening, but it is possible. The only way to know is an EP study. I am assuming that the diagnosis is not already known and the diagnosis is not inappropriate sinus tachycardia. Inappropriate sinus tachycardia is not a life threatening arrhythmia, but does significally affect quality of life.
2)What are the short term and long term risks of this? I am currently undergoing fertility treatments ok'd by my cardiologist 3yrs ago.
Most of the short term consequences are just the symptoms caused by the tachycardia. Long term tachycardia, if sustained, can lead to a cardiomyopathy. It is unlikely that you have this degree of tachycardia if your doctor is ok with you being off medications.
3)Is there a strong likelihood the svt will worsen with pregnancy?
It all depends on the cause of the tachycardia. Some of the comments you have made suggest it may be inappropriate sinus tachycarda, but I am not sure. It is possible that it may worsen during pregnancy.
4)What are the long term risks of this and is it svt related?
Again, I wish I could answer this question. To understand the potential causes, I would have to know what the cause of your SVT is. There are so many different possibility for causes, I am not sure how to advise you.
I hope this answers some of your questions. Good luck and thanks for posting.
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