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Heart Disease (Expert Forum)
svt/atrial tachycardia
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svt/atrial tachycardia
by Linda123, Jul 26, 2003 12:00AM
Hello (again...)
I wonder if you could tell me what the difference is between atrial tachycardia and svt - I thought they were the same thing but I'm not sure they are.
Is it true that ablation is much more successful in curing heart problems such as extra pathways in the heart rather than cases like mine where there is damage in the right atrium? If someone has an extra pathway in the heart is that some kind of heart damage too?
My doctor here in the UK advises me to wait 5 years before having any ablation because she says it is still a very new and evolving procedure and will be much further forward and thus a safer bet in a few years. Would you agree with this?
My doctor has prescribed me an antidepressant (amitriptiline) to help with anxiety (due to palpitations) but on the leaflet that came with the pills it says people with heart disease or irregular heart beats shouldn't take it - so I guess that rules me out! Do you know of any anti-depressant that doesn't affect the heart? I find my palpitations can be triggered very easily and therefore studiously avoid any kind of irritant. I did take one prozac tablet a few years ago but had quite a palpitation episode the next day.
Thanks very much in advance.
I wonder if you could tell me what the difference is between atrial tachycardia and svt - I thought they were the same thing but I'm not sure they are.
Is it true that ablation is much more successful in curing heart problems such as extra pathways in the heart rather than cases like mine where there is damage in the right atrium? If someone has an extra pathway in the heart is that some kind of heart damage too?
My doctor here in the UK advises me to wait 5 years before having any ablation because she says it is still a very new and evolving procedure and will be much further forward and thus a safer bet in a few years. Would you agree with this?
My doctor has prescribed me an antidepressant (amitriptiline) to help with anxiety (due to palpitations) but on the leaflet that came with the pills it says people with heart disease or irregular heart beats shouldn't take it - so I guess that rules me out! Do you know of any anti-depressant that doesn't affect the heart? I find my palpitations can be triggered very easily and therefore studiously avoid any kind of irritant. I did take one prozac tablet a few years ago but had quite a palpitation episode the next day.
Thanks very much in advance.
Doctor's Answer
by CCF-M.D.-RCJ, Jul 26, 2003 12:00AM
Linda123,
Your welcome, again.
SVT stands for "supraventricular tachycardia", which means any fast heart rhythm originating above the ventricles. Atrial tachycardia is a form of SVT, just like vanilla is a form of ice cream.
Atrial tachycardia does not necessarily imply "damage". Atach can be technically more challenging to ablate than extra pathways (called accessory pathways), but sometimes may be easier as well.
Atach ablation in the US is fairly advanced, but the success depends on the particulars of the given person's atach. Also, I don't know the level of sophistication of the UK interventional electrophysiologists -- in general, the UK tends to be less procedure oriented than the US.
Most anti-depressants have the potential to affect the heart, but some certainly more than others. The SSRI class (prozac, zoloft, celexa, etc) is generally considered safer than the tricyclics (like amitriptyline), but this is not always the case -- so amitriptyline might make more sense for you. Talk to your doctor.
Hope that helps.
Your welcome, again.
SVT stands for "supraventricular tachycardia", which means any fast heart rhythm originating above the ventricles. Atrial tachycardia is a form of SVT, just like vanilla is a form of ice cream.
Atrial tachycardia does not necessarily imply "damage". Atach can be technically more challenging to ablate than extra pathways (called accessory pathways), but sometimes may be easier as well.
Atach ablation in the US is fairly advanced, but the success depends on the particulars of the given person's atach. Also, I don't know the level of sophistication of the UK interventional electrophysiologists -- in general, the UK tends to be less procedure oriented than the US.
Most anti-depressants have the potential to affect the heart, but some certainly more than others. The SSRI class (prozac, zoloft, celexa, etc) is generally considered safer than the tricyclics (like amitriptyline), but this is not always the case -- so amitriptyline might make more sense for you. Talk to your doctor.
Hope that helps.
Best Wishes