Is SVT the same thing as Atrial fibrillation?

[dmmjsm2010]

I am so confused. I am trying to read and understand what I had show up and am overwhelmed by all the different information online. I had a 5 beat run of SVT at 180 beats per minute show up on my Holter Monitor test. My family doctor was not terribly concerned over it, and said she would refer me to a cardiologist for peace of mind. I do not have an appointment yet. She is going to do some blood work, and let the cardio do an echo if they want. She said I could take Toporal to help with the symptoms. Could someone help me understand the difference between the two, and if they would have seen a difference on the Holter? Thank you for your help.

[ireneo]

I haven't heard that description before. My understanding is that SVT refers to any tachy that originated in the atria, kind of a generic term. So that would cover PSVT, a-flutter and a-fib.

Atrial flutter and atrial fib do have have a ventricular response but it's in terms of ratio. So a-flutter like I had will have a regular ratio of 3:1 for example - 3 atrial beats to 1 ventricular response. A-fib has no steady ratio and that's why people with that will have a heart rate that keeps fluctuating: 78 bpm, 102 bpm, 71 bpm, 123 bpm. It feels very erratic.

[kevk]

A Fib and svt are two different types of arrhythmia`s.  A Fib is a fast heart rythym that stays in the upper chambers.  SVT is supra ventricular tachycardia, where the electrical signal starts in the atrium but has fast ventricular responses.