Tachycardia

Alternative Names

Dysrhythmia, Abnormal heart rhythms, Bradycardia

What is Tachycardia

Tachycardia is a faster than normal heart rate, usually determined as greater than 100 beats per minute. If you have tachycardia, the rate in the chambers is highly increased. Tachycardia occurs when an abnormal condition of the heart produces rapid electrical signals.

There are 2 mail types of tachycardia:

• supraventricular tachycardias (occurs in the upper champers)
• ventricular tachycardias (occurs in the lower chambers)

Signs and symptoms

Tachycardia can cause the following symptoms:

• dizziness
• shortness of breath
• lightheadedness
• rapid pulse rate
• heart palpitations — a racing, uncomfortable or irregular heartbeat or a sensation of "flopping" in the chest
• chest pain
• fainting (syncope)

However some people do not experience any symptoms and discover that they have tachycardia during medical exams.

Possible complications

This disease can trigger the following complications:

• blood clots that can cause a stroke or heart attack
• inability of the heart to pump enough blood (heart failure)
• frequent fainting spells
• sudden death (commonly associated with ventricular tachycardia or ventricular fibrillation)

What causes

Tachycardia can occur in people who have:

• cardiomyopathy
• heart failure
• heart surgery
• myocarditis
• valvular heart disease

It can also be triggered by:

• anti-arrhythmic medications
• changes in blood chemistry (such as a low potassium level)
• changes in pH (acid-base)
• lack of enough oxygen

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Prevention

You can protect yourself from these disease if you take the following precautions:

• limit alcohol to 2 drinks a day if you are a man and 1 drink a day if you are a woman
• limit caffeine
• do not smoke
• avoid over-the-counter decongestants, herbal remedies, diet pills and "pep" pills
• do not use illegal drugs such as cocaine, ecstasy or methamphetamine

Treatment

The treatment process is aimed to slow a fast heart rate when it occurs, prevent future episodes and minimize complications.

Ways to slow your heartbeat include:

• vagal maneuvers (it affect the vagus nerve, which helps regulate your heartbeat)
• medications (they should be determined by your doctor; commonly recommended medications are flecainide (Tambocor) or propafenone (Rythmol)
• cardioversion (procedure when a shock is delivered to your heart)