about sinus tachycardia

Hi,
I have a fifteen year old daughter who had a rapid heart beat last night around 8:20. She had just finished eating a late dinner, and was relaxing on the couch when the episode occured. She was very calm when she approached me and told me her heart was racing. I, having svt myself, told her to sit down, and I checked her pusle. She had a heart rate of 144 beats per minute. I got her to cough several times, and contiuned to monitor her heart rate. After about ten minutes I drove her to the fire station near our house. After monitoring her heart rate at 152 beats per minute, the first responders suggested I take her to the hospital. Her heart finally slowed to 90 beats per minute at 9:55 .  They took blood work, an ekg, and told me everything was fine. They said it looked like sinus tachycardia, and told me to not let her have any caffine or chocolate. She is going to see a cardiologist next week. I was so concerned  about her heart beating  that fast for so long. Something had to have triggered this episode. She is a cheerleader who had practice from 4:00 until 6:30 that evening. She was fine when she got in the car and traveled home. She is a very laid back calm child, who never once panicked during the entire episode. I just need to know if her heart racing that long, at that rate is dangerous. ALso, is there ususally a underlying cause for sinus tachycardia?  I am so worried something will happen to her before I get her to the doctor.

                                                                                                                    

[mabebesc]

Hi,

I definitely wouldn't worry that something is going to happen to your daughter before you get her to  the cardiologist. Her heart racing for a couple of hours isn't dangerous either.

I'm  not sure what caused her sinus tachycardia.  It could be something relatively simple. Be  reassured  that her blood work and EKG came out fine. Sinus tachycardia isn't dangerous especially in a young healthy child.  Even though you think her heart rate was fast, it can go a lot faster with no  repercussions.
  I was 16 when I had my first episode of SVT.  My rate was extremely fast(220 beats per min).  I always  felt perfectly fine. Actually, I continued for 36 years with these SVT episodes happening pretty frequently. My cause wasn't sinus tachycardia but an extra electrical pathway in my heart which I finally had taken care of last month.

I know it's scary when your child has something going on  especially when it involves their heart,  but this is something that isn't life threatening or dangerous. I'm sure you'll feel a lot better when you talk to the cardilogist.
Betty

[Lynn63]

My daughter started having different symptoms a year ago.  Her symptoms started with heart palpitations and hot flashes which progressively increased.  She also started having other symptoms.....weakness/fatigue,  feeling faint, vision disturbance, migraines and tachycardia.  We started going to the doctor last October when she was experiencing near fainting, hot flashes and palpitations.  After several return doctor visits, at which point it had progressed to migraines, a 24 hour Holter monitor was used which showed her to be in tachycardia 20% of the time!  Her heart rate reached over 160 a few times during the 24 hour period.  I was surprised since she was laying around the entire time.  She was eventually seen by a Cardiologist and hospitalized for a couple of days in February to do several tests....the last one was a tilt table test which indicated she has Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS).  We were relieved to find an answer although not a cure.  We are told it is not life threatening.....life changing yes....we are just hoping that it will eventually go away.  This is something that in some people goes away in a short period of time and in others it doesn't.  I am only telling you this as there are different things that can cause Tachycardia....in some cases it is an underlying condition of something else.  There is a forum for dysautonomia on this site as well.  I would suggest that you take her blood pressure/heart rate regularly and keep a log to show the Cardiologist when you go.  You can check it while she is laying down, then again sitting up with legs over the side of bed; and again standing.  Make note of the readings each time.  Generally with POTS the heart rate increases by 30 bpm from laying down to standing.  Good luck....I hope you find answers soon!
:)