Patient education: Ventricular tachycardia (The Basics)

What is ventricular tachycardia? — Ventricular tachycardia is a serious condition that causes your heart to beat much faster than normal. When your heart beats too fast, it can't pump blood as well. This can lead to dizziness, fainting, or death. Doctors often call ventricular tachycardia "V-tach" or "VT."

What causes ventricular tachycardia? — Ventricular tachycardia is caused by a problem with the heart's electrical system. The heart's ventricles (the main parts of the heart that pump blood) send abnormal electrical signals that speed up your heartbeat (figure 1).

The electrical system problem is usually caused by another heart condition, such as:

●Heart disease

●Heart attack

●Heart failure

●Heart surgery

●An infection in the heart, called myocarditis

Ventricular tachycardia can also be caused by:

●Medicines used to control heart rhythm problems

●Changes in your blood (such as having too little or too much of certain chemicals in your blood)

●Not getting enough oxygen

What are the symptoms of ventricular tachycardia? — If your heartbeat speeds up for only a few seconds, you might not feel like anything is wrong. If it lasts longer, you might notice your heart is beating fast, beating hard, or seems to skip a beat. These kinds of heartbeat changes are called "palpitations." Other symptoms include:

●Dizziness

●Trouble breathing

●Chest pain

●Fainting

Are there tests for ventricular tachycardia? — Yes. You might need many different tests, including:

●An electrocardiogram – This test, also known as an "ECG," measures the electrical activity in your heart (figure 2).

●Longer-term heart monitoring – There are several devices that can be used for this. A "Holter" monitor is a small, portable machine you wear that records all your heart's electrical activity over 1 or 2 days (figure 3). There are also newer types of monitors called "patch monitors." These go directly on the skin, without wires, and can be worn for up to 14 days.

Plus, your doctor might do other tests to find the cause of your ventricular tachycardia.

Should I see a doctor or nurse? — If you have trouble breathing or have chest pain that lasts for more than a few minutes, call for an ambulance (in the US and Canada, call 9-1-1).

If you do not have these problems, but you often feel your heart beating fast or irregularly, talk to your doctor or nurse.

How is ventricular tachycardia treated? — The treatment depends on what caused the ventricular tachycardia. Possible treatments include:

●Medicines to control the speed or rhythm of your heartbeat

●A treatment called "cardioversion" that involves applying an electrical current to the heart to fix its rhythm.

●A device called an "implantable cardioverter-defibrillator" ("ICD" for short) that the doctor can put in your body. The ICD uses mild electrical currents to help make your heart rhythm normal.

●A device called a pacemaker that the doctor can put in your body. The pacemaker sends electrical signals to your heart to control your heartbeat.

●Treatments called "ablation." Ablation treatments use heat (called "radiofrequency ablation") or cold (called "cryoablation") to destroy the small part of the heart that is sending the abnormal electrical signals.

Can ventricular tachycardia be prevented? — Having heart disease can make it more likely you will have ventricular tachycardia. Doing things that keep your heart healthy can help prevent heart disease. This includes:

●Eating a healthy diet. This involves eating lots of fruits and vegetables and low-fat dairy products, but not a lot of meat or fatty foods.

●Walking or doing a physical activity on most days of the week. Even gentle exercise is helpful.

●Losing weight, if you are overweight. If you want to lose weight, your doctor or nurse can talk to you about how to do this in a healthy way.

More on this topic

Patient education: Sudden cardiac arrest (The Basics)
Patient education: Heart attack (The Basics)
Patient education: What can go wrong after a heart attack? (The Basics)
Patient education: ECG and stress test (The Basics)
Patient education: Implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (The Basics)
Patient education: Catheter ablation for the heart (The Basics)
Patient education: Advance directives (The Basics)

Patient education: Heart attack (Beyond the Basics)
Patient education: Cardioversion (Beyond the Basics)
Patient education: Implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (Beyond the Basics)
Patient education: Catheter ablation for abnormal heartbeats (Beyond the Basics)