regular tachycardia

[tuftscove]

My Transteleponic Arrhythmia Monitering Report states that the rythym strip interpretation indicates "REGULAR TACHYCARDIA WITH NO CLEAR P WAVES, CANNOT RULE OUT SVT, NO VENTRICULAR ECTOPY.
The follow-up rhythm strip finding indicate "SINUS RHYTHN.."
What does this mean in terms of seriousness, and, how should I address this symptom.

[Bromley]

This is fantastic information. Thank you for posting it.

[Mom2four85]

if you search here on MH you'll find alot of info on tachycardia and in the expert section, dr's answer alot of questions about tachy issues =)

here's an article on VT I have that was given to me by a dr on another site - http://www.medhelp.org/user_journals/show/228899/VTACH---VT-?personal_page_id=861727

"Ventricular tachycardia most often occurs in the presence of demonstrable structural heart disease. However, in young patients with ventricular tachycardia it is common no structural heart disease may be found. Two forms of ventricular tachycardia are commonly found and they are right ventricular outflow tract and left posterior septal fascicular ventricular tachycardia. Both of these tachycardia are repetitive monomorphic ventricular tachycardias likely due to an abnormal automatic focus amenable to rf ablation."

"These distinctions are based on the location of the abnormal focus causing these tachycardia and the resulting morphology on ECG. These tachycardias are generally well tolerated and the patients complain mainly of episodes of palpitations or fast pulse. These VT's have well defined ECG patterns and are often triggered by exercise or catecholamines. Unlike the VT associated with coronary artery disease, these VT is not associated with an adverse prognosis. This VT seldom degenerates into ventricular fibrillation, and it is often responsive to drug therapy or RF ablation."

another good article - http://eurheartj.oxfordjournals.org/content/25/13/1093.full

it depends on alot of things that your dr will test & determine to see if it's dangerous, make sure you take notes and ask your dr lots of questions =)

[Bromley]

Almost forgot. Ectopy refers to a more or less ramdom event or series of events in which "a spark" is initiated spontaneously at some point of origin not at the normal pace maker (SA node). Ventricular Ectopy refers to spontaneous sparks that start in the lower chambers, and normally cause the lower chambers to contract prematurely (i.e. premature ventricular contraction, or PVC).

[Bromley]

Regularity I think may have something to do with how the shape of the waveform changes from beat to beat.

SVT stands for Supra Ventricular Tachycardia. This is a class of tachycardias that involve or originate in the upper chambers of the heart. Atrial fib, for example, is an SVT with irregular waveform characterstics (i.e. it involves rather random behavior in the upper chambers).

VT is confined to the lower chambers. Non-sustained VT, or NSVT, occurs whenever VT is sustained for less than 30 seconds. (I have never heard of sustained VT referred to as SVT, but would not discount the possibility.)

In the above context, the waveform could be a reciprocating tachycardia that is more regular than afib. It seems likely that someone is trying to differentiate a reciprocating SVT from VT.

One thing to know about VT and SVT is that they both can be associated with rapid conduction, although conduction in VT can be quite rapid because there is no intervening upper chamber to slow it down.

Now, the heart has a limited ability to keep up with rapid conduction. A period of recovery is required between each beat. If conduction is rapid enough, there is not enough time for recovery along some portion of the route and this has implications for the waveform. Wide QRS complexes are typically the manifestation of very rapid conduction in the lower chambers.

Reciprocating SVT's may have "wide QRS complexes" or narrow QRS complexes depending on how rapid conduction is. As far as i know, VT is always wide. So how do we know if we have VT or wide complex SVT?

Doctors look for characteristics in the waveform which show a "disassociation" of the atrial component of the signal from the ventricular. When these components are disassociated, VT is the likely diagnosis because it is unlikely that the upper chambers are involve in a reciprocating tachycardia in that case. On such traces, the ventricular component (QRS) is always easy to see. The atrial component is demarcated by the p, and if it is not obscured by  measurement issues, it can be used to establish whether the upper and lower chambers are involved in a reciprocating SVT. I presume the doctor would be looking to see p wave occuring with regularity, and in sync with QRS.

[RNRita]

First, the follow up strip stating sinus rhythm, is what you want it to say. That is normal.  Regular tachycardia is just a HR between 100 and 150 BPM.  This can be due to a myriad of things, including anxiety.  SVT stands for supraventricular tachycardia which is a HR from 151 to 250.  SVT can also stand for sustained v-tach, which is a ventricular tachycardia lasting over 30 minutes.

You need to talk with your doctor on how best to treat this. In any case, he needs to figure out the cause in order to treat the symptom, first.  

Good luck and take care.