SVTs after exercise

[mightym53]

I have had SVT's since 2001.  They are very infrequent and do seem to go in cycle's.  I was treated back in 2001 with digoxin since I can not tolerate beta blockers because of my low blood pressure.  I was on medication for about two years and did not have any more SVT's.  My doctor took me off meds and I was SVT clear for about 4 years.  This past Thanksgiving I had an SVT but was also sick with a bad gall bladder.  It seems that when my stomach gets full of gass/ or is full it can trigger an event.  I had another SVT in April at work after riding my bike and getting my heart rate up to 125.  Is it more dangerous to exercise induced SVT's?  I am back on 1/2 of a digoxin and have not had another problem but when I have gas my blood pressure will go up and so will my pulse (72-80).  Once I burp it seems to be fine.  This all started when I was around 40 years old.  I had a normal ECHO and spoke with an electrophysiologist who said my EKG was normal.  She say I was a good candidate for abalation.  I am not having numerous SVT's so would you recommend ablation?  it seems very invasive and comes with a lot of risks.  I am 53 now and will be 54 next week.  Is there long term problems with having SVT's?  Am I at increased risk for heart attacks?

Thanks.

Mary


This discussion is related to PVC's after exercise.

[stutterheart]

The fact that you don't pass out is very reassuring. It means your body is getting the oxygen it needs and is indicitive of a benign condition, most likely. But I think it's enough of a concern to get an EP study. It could very well be a vagal response, based on the coincidence with gas. The gas puts pressure on your vagus nerve that seems to secrete some heart-affecting chemicals in some people when triggered
I think you are about on with the number of deaths from EP study. I heard more like 1:2000. But again, you have to consider that this does not exclude bad doctors and patients that have extremely high risk going in to it. Once you strip that away, I'd say it's more like 1:100,000. For me, I just have to trust my doctor and that he can restart it if it stops.
Good luck and go see your EP.
-A

[mightym53]

I forgot to mention the other symptoms.  I feel it come on suddenly.  I usually get a lot of anxiety when it happens and my body just feels like it is shaking alot. I have never passed out.  I just get nervous and feel like I can't sit down because then maybe I will pass out.

Thannks again.

[mightym53]

Thanks for the comments. My heart rate gets up to about 180 bpm and maybe lasts 10 min at the most.  It was only about 5 minutes when it happened at Thanksgiving, but again it may be more related to gas/pressure in my stomach then to the exercise.  Because once I burp it seems to stop.  I would like to know if the doctor on the forum would recommend abalation for someone with infrequent SVT's.  What does the PVC mean?  Noone has mentioned that to me.  The electrophysiologist said I had a normal rhythm.  The EP study and abalation sound like a long procedure and risky.  I think she said 1/5000 have died?  

[stutterheart]

I should clarify: sudden cardiac death is very rare in people who have not had a heart attack, have been cleared of enlarged heart, WPW, Long QT etc and those who are not extremely old.

[stutterheart]

Hi Mary,
Can you quantify your SVT? Does it come on all of a sudden? How fast? How long? Any other symptoms?
SVT is usually pretty benign if your echo checked out. I would recommend an EP study so that they can try to see the mechanism of the SVT. It may be a number of things and perhaps an ablation could cure you. The proceedue is NO FUN but worth the risk, I think. Fatalities are rare and that's including all the first time bad doctors and the 90 year olds who were going to konk out anyway.
If you are not having syncope or dizzyness/loss of breath, you should be fine.
I'd say that we with chronic arrhtymia have an increased chance of death from a cardiac event of about twice the general population. That's a ball park number from some of the jounals I've read (you have to look for the 'hazard ratio'). That's a bit higher than I'd like but I think it's a reality and when you think about it, the odds are still pretty darn good that you'll be fine: sudden cadiac death is very rare.
I've read that the Framingham study showed that those with PVC's (and let's just assume that applies to all arrhythmia) in the recovery period of exercize are almost twice as likely to have a cardiac event at some point than those without. The occurance of PVC's during exerrcize did not have any affect on mortality rates. These studies can be causually ambiguious though.