Ventricular Tachycardia

[skipo1974]

How do you know when you had it. I hear runs its is vtach when u have runs of 3 pvc in a row if so that scares me. I had beat pause beat pause beat. I always felt the hard beat after the short pause. I didnt feel dizzy or lightheaded. I have mitral valve prolapse and I was told at my echo last year that my heart was fine. what are the chances this was vtach

[Godworthy]

Hi, normally cardiologists would consider any runs of beats over 90bpm to be a tachycardia, though of late some tag a tachycardia to be 100 and above, be it supraventricular or ventricular. (SVT/VT).
In any case most tachycardias are not too serious if below these rates esp from the atrium. However having said that if your PVCs if they really are PVCs, and they come in a row of over 90 beats a min, and you have a way to document that yourself via some portable devices that are sold in medical clinics or via your own doctor, then you can easily get confirmation from your dr that you are indeed having a VT. All said, question is "what you are having, is it dangerous?" under normal circumstances without history of cardiovascular disease or other medical problems eg thyroid or diabetes, and if you are young and fairly active, if you rarely get these palpitaions, then I don't think it's that worrying.
Skipo74, why not see a cardiologist or EP and get it clarified? Once confirmed your ectopic beats are only either just PACs or PVCs, not rapid and not in long runs, you are home free??! Wow, that would be a treat and time to celebrate....throw that doubt away for once and for all?
Hope you will feel better? Take care...

[MichelleP_3811]

Feeling beat pause beat pause likely means you were in bigeminy not vtach so no need to worry.  And being in bigeminy does not mean you will fall into vtach either.  Have you had a work up of your heart if so and everything is structurally normal then what you are feeling is disconcerting but not of any health concern but if you haven't had a work up then you should probably get checked out.  But again, if it turns out your heart is healthy despite the odd beat pattern then it is really a matter of trying to put the odd beats out of your head.  Take care.

[skipo1974]

my heart beat is never over a 100 is this still vtach

[is_something_wrong]

That's exactly how premature beats works. We all have them, and they will get worse if you keep checking the pulse. With a blood pressure of 135/80 your dizziness is not related to a loss of blood pressure, if you got dizzy at all.

Stop reading about ventricular tachycardia. It's an extremely rare condition. Move on with your life, your heart worked fine before I guess, so it's no reason it won't continue that way :-)

[skipo1974]

and my doc but me on atenolol to help with the skips does that med seem to work

[skipo1974]

I felt the pause with my hand when I felt the hard beats coming the next thing I  felt was pause again hard beat pause hard beat I dont remember my heart going super fast after that I think my pulse was 97 after a few minutes and my blood pressure was 135/80. I didnt get very dizzy

[is_something_wrong]

A run of PVCs is three or more PVCs following each other. Most people seem to mistake the "hard" beat as the PVC. This is not true. The hard beat is the next normal beat AFTER the PVC. You will not notice the PVC itself, and if you had a run of PVCs, you would probably feel this like your heart stopped for a long time (more than just one skipped heart beat). As an alternative, you may feel a run of very rapid, very weak heart beats, though this is more common in the setting of supraventricular tachycardia, because the heart is activated in a normal way which produces a higher output (and stronger pulse).

Some "pauses" after each other with normal beats in between, are "normal" PVCs or PACs. But you should consider getting this monitored with EKG, just to get a definite diagnosis. If it is just premature beats, it's something we all have.

[Godworthy]

Hello, I have an ICD implanted in 2004 for VT and to confirm that I had many 24hrs Holter ECG done to see if VT actually occurred during monitoring. I was seen to have episodes of VT rapid ones. And yes you are right when the PVCs are in a row they are VTs. Mine was fast and was running at rate of 150 to 219. I would get the shocks to convert it.
If you feel those skips and pauses You most probably had PVCs either every other beat, in bigeminy, or just PVCs singles. I began having those long before detected to have VT and later on advised on ICD inserted. I would Suggest you get your Doc to monitor for once and for all when you feeling not so well that day, with the hook up of ECG holter and see what the outcome is?
VT if picked up early and if not rapid without other heart disease history need not be dangerous but I personally feel to ease your worries, go get it checked?
Hope this helps, and I hop you will feel better soon. Best regards.