July 27, 2017
My SVT and next steps
I wrote about this issue here.
Since then I purchased Kardia and got real readings when the SVT occurs.
I’m adding the following data:
Note: I’ve since added Magnesium supplements to my diet (I think I took a lot of VitD suddenly which drained out magnesium).
PREVIOUS NOTES
It can be hard to diagnose SVT if it is sporadic
Holter monitors are only useful if there is regular or chronic SVT. Cardiac Event Monitors also can only be used for a month, but in my case the event can happen once in a year. See this. A LOT OF MOBILE ONES ARE NOW AVAILABLE. read this.
CHEAP PORTABLE DEVICES ARE NOW AVAILABLE.
Monitoring for asymptomatic but infrequent arrhythmias. The test may be performed to look for
arrhythmias like atrial fibrillation (AF), or complex ventricular arrhythmias such as ventricular tachycardia (VT). This includes before and after treatments such as drug treatment of AF, to confirm the effectiveness of procedures such as ablation of arrhythmias like atrial fibrillation (AF), atrial flutter or supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) and, less frequently, ventricular tachycardia. [Source]
NEED TO GET CORRECT DIAGNOSIS
One day I awoke and stood up and my heart suddenly started racing for no reason. I drove to the surgery, walked straight into the nurses quarters and they gave me an ecg straight away. I was diagnosed then with svt. Five years later I underwent an ablation and thankfully I appear to be cured. In your case if they have recorded your heart racing then it would be a simple job to diagnose svt. [SOURCE]
GO TO EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT
Anyone who suspects he has a heart rhythm problem needs to see a doctor immediately. This is the kind of problem that often should be seen as soon as suspected, in an emergency room. It could be a minor issue, but it could also quickly be life threatening. A good internist, family physician, or emergency medicine physician may even choose to refer you to a cardiologist for an immediate evaluation. [Source]
All arrhythmias should be taken seriously. We categorize them by where in the heart the arrhythmia is occurring. The atria are the upper part of the heart and the ventricles are the larger pump part of the heart in the bottom. Generally, atrial arrhythmias are less of a risk to health compared with ventricular arrhythmias. Untreated atrial arrhythmias can cause blood clots to form in the heart. These clots can break loose and lead to strokes if the clots lodge in the brain. Ventricular arrhythmias can lead to a dramatic decrease in blood flow to the brain and other organs. This can lead to sudden death.
Some arrhythmias are treated with anti-arrhythmic medicines. Some are treated with a pacemaker, which is an instrument that electrically stimulates the heart to beat normally. Some arrhythmias even require an implanted defibrillator that monitors the heart and shocks the heart back to a normal rhythm should a dangerous rhythm develop. In some cases doctors may even do a surgical modification of the electrical system to prevent arrhythmias.
BUT DON’T PANIC
Don’t panic if you’ve occasionally had these symptoms. Arrhythmias are extremely common, especially as you get older. Each year millions of people have them. [Source]
In general, SVT is almost never a life-threatening problem and the episodes do not need to be treated as a medical emergency. If an episode occurs, vagal maneuvers (these are explained in the section below on treatment) should be tried. If the episode lasts longer than 45 minutes the child should be taken (by car without undue haste) to a local emergency room for treatment. [Source]
SVT
Supraventricular tachycardia: Supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) is any arrhythmia that begins above the ventricle. SVTs are usually identified by a burst of rapid heartbeats that can be chronic or begin and end suddenly. These bursts can last a few seconds or several hours and may cause your heart to beat more than 160 times per minute. The most common SVTs include atrial fibrillation and atrial flutter. These bursts can last a few seconds or several hours and may cause your heart to beat more than 160 times per minute. [Source]
How do you know that you don’t have AF (Atrial fibrillation) – if you feel a fluter but your PULSE REMAINS UNCHANGED. [source]
In my case the pulse becomes really quick.
