Supraventricular Tachycardia (SVT)
Johns Creek Supraventricular Tachycardia
Supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) is a condition where the heart races. A normal heart rate is 60 to 100 beats per minute (bpm), but someone who suffers from supraventricular tachycardia will experience times where the heart exceeds 100 bpm, and is usually between 150-200 bpm.
What causes it?
The cause of SVT is an extra or accessory electrical tissue in the heart’s electrical system.
Supraventricular Tachycardia (SVT) Treatment
What are Treatment Options?
SVT can be treated in several ways:
- Medication – Doctors may try to use medication to control your heart rate, control your heart’s rhythm, or to thin the blood.
- Ablation – The cause of SVT is an extra or accessory electrical pathway in the heart electrical system. A minimally invasive procedure called ablation can be used to remove this accessory pathway. This is a procedure where the doctor goes in through a catheter and uses either heat or cold energy to burn off the extra tissue in the heart that is sending the incorrect electrical signal.
- Devices
- Devices such as a pacemaker are sometimes necessary to treat PSVT.