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(Circulation. 2002;106:e206.)
© 2002 American Heart Association, Inc.

Cardiology Patient Page

Supraventricular Tachycardia

Paul J. Wang, MD; N. A. Mark Estes, III, MD

From Tufts University School of Medicine and Tufts New England Medical Center, Boston, Mass.

Correspondence to Paul J. Wang, MD, Tufts New England Medical Center, 750 Washington St, Boston, MA 02111. E-mail Pwang1@lifespan.org

An extract of the first 250 words of the full text is provided, because this article has no abstract.

The heart is a 4-chambered muscle that functions as a blood pump; the 2 upper chambers are called the atria and the 2 lower chambers are the ventricles. The rhythm of the heart is normally controlled by a natural pacemaker (the sinoatrial node) in the right upper chamber that beats about 60 times per minute at rest and can increase with exercise. Electrical impulses travel from the natural pacemaker through the atria, then pass through a filter called the atrioventricular node (AV) between the atria and ventricles before running down specialized fibers that activate the ventricles. (Figure 1)

View larger version (71K): [in this window] [in a new window]   Figure 1. Diagram of the heart and the electrical conduction system of the heart. Electrical impulses start in the sino-atrial node and travel via the atria to the AV node. From there, the electrical impulse travels through the His fibers and the Purkinje fibers to the left and right ventricles.

The atria are above the ventricles, hence the term supraventricular. The term tachycardia refers to a rapid heartbeat of over 100 beats per minute. Supraventricular tachycardia is frequently abbreviated as SVT (formerly paroxysmal atrial tachy- cardia or PAT). Supraventricular tachycardia then is a rapid rhythm of the heart that begins in the upper chambers. When patients experience change in the normal sequence of electrical impulses and an abnormal heart rhythm occurs, they are said to be having an arrhythmia.

Symptoms During Supraventricular Tachycardia

• Palpitations
  
• Lightheadedness
  
• Dizziness
  
• Loss of consciousness
  
• Chest pain
  
• Shortness of breath
  

Typically, patients have symptoms from SVT, but occasionally they may . . . [Full Text of this Article]