Ventricular Tachycardia V-Tach in normal heart 208 bpm and with 18 beats

Hello,

I was having some chest discomfort and my Dr decided to reorder a stress/echo and 30- day event monitor.  I was having PVCs and PACs last year but the event monitor showed just that...PVCs and PACs.  Last year my stress echo was fine. Prior to this I had a questionable diagnoses of diabetes (which I now know I do not).

After having my stress/test last week it showed something funky in the septum not working as hard as the rest of the heart.  Of course I was FREAKED out by that and he said I should follow up with a ct scan of the heart.  Meanwhile he put me on the event monitor.

I was sooooooo freaked out that I had an underlying heart condition and or diabetes (I am 40#s overweight...I just lost 10# from stress).

Anyway, the cardio monitoring system had called me and asked how I felt and if I thought I should go the hospital.  Of course I called 911 and off I went.

I called for an ambulance and told them I had an abnormal rhythm of the heart.  Long story short, they got the printout from cardionet and it was 18 beats of 208 heart rate.  I'm not sure if 208 was the beat of all of them or if that was the max rate.  The ultimately told me it was proxysmal ventricular tachycardia.

They then did blood work, chest xray a heart catherization and another repeat echo.  All those tests came back good.  

I saw my cardiologist and the electrophysists (plummer & electrical Drs of the heart).  The Electrophysiologist Dr assured me that in a HEALTHY HEART THAT THIS IS BENIGN AND NON LIFE THREATENING!!  However, I can't get otu of my mind how all the Drs were freaked out by the arrithymia.

He does want me to do an MRI of the heart on an outpatient basis, but doesn't feel there will be a problem.

He put me on 50mg Toporol XL (slow release 1 x daily).

Can anyone let me know there thoughts/advice on this?  Has anyone had such high heart rate lasting that many beats??

I am really freaked and want to the trust the Drs.  The heart rate is just crazy high and I am quite concerned by this.  And all of you who are diagnosed with v-tach I am sure understand my anxious feeling at this point.

Thank you so much for answering my questions.

Blessings,

Sue

[Jerry_NJ]

I am not sure I follow your tachy issue, but a run of a few beats that would translate to 208 bpm doesn't strike as dangerous if you have a healthy heart.  One would like to know what caused it, of course.
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The only think I have had that is close is when exercise caused my atrial fibrillation to take over and push my HR up.  None have happened lately, but then I no longer run for exercise.  Best I can recall the high HR lasted for a few minutes, not just a few beats.

I am not trying to minimize you issue, and understand your need for a answer.  I hope too that you try to keep a positive mind-set, and optimism that minimizes anxiety and other heart rhythm drivers.

[michellepetkus]

It is likely the 18 beats equate to a rate of 208 but for only 18 beats it is not that stressful on the heart.  A sustained beat at that rate, especially a ventricle beat may be dangerous but nonsustained VT is not that dangerous. Especially if you didn't pass out.  I can't say for certain but I suspect your stressing out caused you to have an elevated number of pvcs some that turned into VT but if you can release the stress you will turn your pvcs back into isolated ectopics.   Though it is not quite the same thing when I fell into svt I had a sustained rate of upwards of 230.  I had a few episodes that lasted 8-12 hours and my heart is still ticking away fine so your heart is a lot stronger than you think.  It can handle a lot.  So I would say go and get your heart fully evaluated to see if you need to take certain meds to keep it healthy and do whatever it takes to manage your stress.  It will do a world of good for your heart.  Take care and keep us posted on how you are doing.

[chucksusanb]

I forgot to mention that I am a 43 female.

Thank you for the replies and I am hoping to find someone else who also had these things going on.

and is

MRI of heart
Heart catherizaton - normal
stress/echo (which originally looked funny upon further investigation showed no blockages
echo - normal
chest x-ray - normal
blood work up - normal

Are those all sufficient things to rule out things and enough to just put me on beta blockers?

Thanks so much

[Jerry_NJ]

We can't give medical advice, but I can say that you are taking the right course of action in obtaining the complete check-up.  A heart catherization is invasive (I've had a couple myself) and very accurate in its ability to check many functions of the heart, including, but not limited to, blockage.

If I were in the same situation I would put my faith in the treatment prescribed by my doctor(s).  A beta blocker is a very usual (over prescribed?  I don't know) first step.  I'll guess that if that helps you may be slowly taken off of the BB, as you gain confidence that your heart is working.

[chucksusanb]

Thank you so much.  I had another episode of something, but thankfully the cardionet monitor did not call me.  My watch said 170 beats, but I don't know what kind of rhythm.  Called cardionet and they told me if it is something, they will call me.  That was 2 hours ago.

I've only been on beta blockers for 4 days so I need to give it time, trust the Drs at this point (which sounds like they are doing what they should) and have hope that things will be okay.

Thanks Jerry!  I do appreciate your feedback!  Do you mind me asking you what your situation is?

[Jerry_NJ]

Good to read you are making progress, and the monitor seems to help put your mind at rest, work with it, anxiety is an enemy of the heart and other vital organs.

Please click on my handle (Jerry_NJ) to access my profile.  I tell a little bit about myself relative to heart rhythm issues.  I do not suffer from PVC and any Vtach I have is due to my beta blocker not blocking the atrial fibrillation signals sufficiently.  This is very rare and hasn't happened since I stopped running for exercise in 2007.  In other words I don't have Vtach either anymore - but serious walking requires that I slow down if my heart rate gets above 135 or 140, which it will on an upgrade.  

I try to help with subjects, such as yours based on what I have read, if I do not have a specifically connected personal experience.  Keep in mind too, I am a male and my experience says many males have a lower-key emotional framework.  So, what works for me may be of little value to a female, but I can say regardless, it is important to somehow work yourself into a positive frame-of-mind.

[Jerry_NJ]

Update, looking at the handle "chuck..." I will say my comments about me being a male was based on a subliminal assumption I was writing to a female... no problem, any reader who is female can take my cautionary gender input into consideration.

[chucksusanb]

I am female!  I used my husbands name and my name in the login.  Sorry for the misunderstanding!

Susan