Treatment for supraventricular tachycardia focuses on decreasing your heart rate and breaking up the electrical circuits made by the abnormal conducting pathways. Treatment can be divided into 2 broad categories: halting the acute episode and preventing any new ones. One of the most important considerations in treating an acute episode of supraventricular tachycardia is how severely your heart function has been affected.
Self-Care at Home
In most people, supraventricular arrhythmias are not dangerous. Mild arrhythmias, such as isolated premature beats, may require no treatment. A few people, however, may have arrhythmias that become dangerous and require immediate, perhaps prolonged, treatment.
In most cases, you might attempt the following simple maneuvers, called vagal maneuvers, to assist your body in slowing your heart rate.
Hold your breath for a few seconds
Dip your face in cold water
Cough
Tense your stomach muscles as if you are bearing down to have a bowel movement
If these maneuvers do not work, lie down and relax. Take some slow, deep breaths. Often, your heart will slow by itself.
If the symptoms continue, get immediate transport to a hospital. If you have frequent episodes of rapid heartbeat, you should be evaluated by a medical professional.
The following lifestyle choices may help control your condition:
Learn how to count your pulse. Then make sure your pulse is regular. Ask your health care provider or nurse to teach you how to count your pulse. It should be between 50-100 per minute and regular.
Check with your health care provider before taking any over-the-counter cough, cold, or pain medicines.
Exercise regularly. Exercise makes your heart stronger and more efficient and lowers your overall blood pressure and heart rate.
Learn to relax to control stress. Some relaxation techniques include muscle relaxation, deep breathing, meditation, and biofeedback.
Control other illnesses by complying with your doctor’s recommendations.
Quit smoking.
Reduce caffeine intake.
Avoid illicit drug use. Most stimulate your heart.
Control your weight. Obesity makes your heart work much harder.
Work toward a diet low in fat, cholesterol, and salt.
Cut back on excessive alcohol use.
Medical Treatment
If you have low blood pressure, chest pain, or a failing heart with tachycardia, your condition is considered unstable. In such cases, you may be in serious danger and need immediate treatment. You may need an electrical shock (cardioversion) to convert your heart to normal rhythm. If your condition is stable, a number of options are available to end the abnormal rhythm:
Vagal maneuvers: Coughing, holding your breath, immersing the face in cold water, and tensing your muscles as if having a bowel movement are called vagal maneuvers because they increase the tone of the vagus nerve on your heart. Increased vagal tone stimulates release of substances that decrease your heart rate, which can break the abnormal electrical circuit.
Carotid massage: Carotid massage involves gently pressing and rubbing your carotid sinus, located in your neck just under the angle of your jaw. Carotid massage can release chemicals to slow your heart rate. This step is generally limited to young, healthy people because older people are at risk of stroke. You will be connected to a heart monitor because the decrease in heart rate can be dramatic.
Medications: You may be given adenosine (Adenocard), a short-acting medication that decreases your heart rate. This medication is given by IV to act quickly. Adenosine has some temporary side effects, including facial flushing, chest pain, shortness of breath, nausea, and dizziness. If a single dose does not stop supraventricular tachycardia, then your doctor may give higher doses. Adenosine successfully stops paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia (PSVT) in more than 90% of cases.
If adenosine is unsuccessful, other medications can be used, such as calcium channel blockers, digoxin (Lanoxin), or beta-blockers.
Your health care provider will devise treatment that meets the specific cause of your supraventricular tachycardia.
Pacemaker: A pacemaker is an electronic device that takes over the role of the SA node as pacemaker of the heart. It is often implanted inside the heart by a cardiologist in the cardiac cath lab, not by a surgeon in the typical operating room.
In special cases, the source of your arrhythmia or abnormal electrical pathways can be interrupted by chemicals, ablated by high frequency energy through a catheter (such as in the Wolff Parkinson White syndrome), or by a surgeon.
Circulatory System
Circulatory System, or cardiovascular system, in humans, the combined function of the heart, blood, and blood vessels to transport oxygen and nutrients to organs and tissues throughout the body and carry away waste products. Among its vital functions, the circulatory system increases the flow of blood to meet increased energy demands during exercise and regulates body temperature.
