Ventricular tachycardia (VT) is a fast, abnormal heart rhythm (arrhythmia). It starts in your heart's lower chambers, called the ventricles. VT is defined as 3 or more heartbeats in a row, at a rate of more than 100 beats a minute.
What is ventricular tachycardia? Ventricular tachycardia (VT or V-tach) is a type of abnormal heart rhythm, or arrhythmia. It occurs when the lower chamber of the heart beats too fast to pump well and the body doesn't receive enough oxygenated blood.
Ventricular tachycardia (VT) is a wide complex arrhythmia of ventricular origin, defined as three or more consecutive beats at a rate of more than 100 beats per minute.
Ventricular tachycardia (VT) is a fast, abnormal heart rhythm. This may last for only a few seconds or for a longer time. VT that lasts for only a few seconds may not need to be treated.
V-tach occurs when your pulse rate is more than 100 beats per minute, and you have at least three irregular heartbeats, or arrhythmias, in a row. Besides palpitations, V-tach can cause symptoms like chest pain, lightheadedness, and fainting. Untreated V-tach can be dangerous: It's a major cause of sudden cardiac death.
Sometimes it is not known what causes ventricular tachycardia, especially when it occurs in young people. But in most cases ventricular tachycardia is caused by heart disease, such as a previous heart attack, a congenital heart defect, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, dilated cardiomyopathy, or myocarditis.
In most people, ventricular tachycardia develops as a result of other heart problems such as high blood pressure, cardiomyopathy (enlarged heart), heart valve disease or coronary artery disease. If you've had a heart attack or heart surgery, scar tissue on your heart can contribute to ventricular tachycardia.
In haemodynamically unstable sustained VT, the priority is stabilisation and electrical cardioversion. In haemodynamically stable VT, a history, an examination and a 12-lead ECG should be obtained, and treatment with antiarrhythmic medications initiated.
Nursing Process
If tachycardia is prolonged or the rhythm is abnormal, treatment may include medications, implanted medical devices, surgery, and cardioversion. The nurse will closely monitor patients on continuous telemetry, assess vital signs, and implement advanced cardiovascular life support (ACLS) as necessary.
CORRECT: A client experiencing ventricular tachycardia who does not have a pulse should receive immediate defibrillation. The earlier defibrillation is performed, the greater the chance the client will survive.
Patients with VT may suffer heart failure and its attendant morbidity as a result of hemodynamic compromise. In patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy and nonsustained VT, sudden-death mortality approaches 30% in 2 years.
Psychosocial stress adversely affects the autonomic homeostasis. This in turn can result in metabolic abnormalities, inflammation and dysfunction of endothelium [1]. Changes in the autonomic homeostasis can be a major trigger for ventricular tachyarrhythmias [2].
Abnormal Heart Rates or Heart Beats reflect the cardiac conditions of the body. If unnoticed and untreated, this can sometimes be fatal. Conditions when the heartbeat goes beyond 120-140 beats per minute or falls below 60 beats per minute, can be considered dangerous, and immediate doctor's intervention is a must.
Ventricular tachycardia (VT) is a fast, abnormal heart rhythm (arrhythmia). It starts in your heart's lower chambers, called the ventricles. VT is defined as 3 or more heartbeats in a row, at a rate of more than 100 beats a minute. If VT lasts for more than a few seconds at a time, it can become life-threatening.
Sustained VT lasts for 30 seconds or more, or until medical intervention is needed. Sustained VT may cause symptoms such as dizziness, pre- syncope (feeling faint), syncope (fainting), breathlessness, and may lead to cardiac arrest requiring medical intervention in the form of a life- saving shock from a defibrillator.
Tidal volume (VT) delivered by mechanical ventilation during anesthesia may be influenced by factors related not only to the patient and the breathing circuit, but also to the interaction between the anesthesia machine and the anesthesia ventilator.
Sometimes ventricular tachycardia can cause the heart to stop (sudden cardiac arrest). Treatment for ventricular tachycardia may include medication, a shock to the heart (cardioversion), catheter procedures or surgery to slow the fast heart rate and reset the heart rhythm.
Mostly class I antiarrhythmic drugs, such as lidocaine or ajmaline, are preferred. In hemodynamically unstable ventricular tachycardia, electrical cardioversion should be applied, in case of recurrences, followed by pharmacological treatment with class I antiarrhythmic drugs or amiodarone.
This is also called catheter or radiofrequency ablation. Doctors use heat to destroy unusual heart tissue. This method treats the ventricular tachycardia and can cure it.
Pulseless VT, in contrast to other unstable VT rhythms, is treated with immediate defibrillation. High-dose unsynchronized energy should be used. The initial shock dose on a biphasic defibrillator is 150-200 J, followed by an equal or higher shock dose for subsequent shocks.
Treatment / Management
Adenosine is also the first line treatment for patients with paroxysmal atrial tachycardia. For a hemodynamically stable patient, according to the same guidelines as above, first line management is IV beta-blockers, IV Diltiazem or IV Verapamil.
Symptomatic patients typically present with palpitation, lightheadedness, and syncope from diminished cerebral perfusion. Chest pain may result from ischemia or from the rhythm itself. Understandably, patients often experience anxiety. Syncope is more common when VT occurs in the setting of structural heart disease.
Alcohol. Caffeine in coffee, chocolate, and some sodas and teas. Spicy foods. Very cold drinks.
The following drug classes may cause monomorphic ventricular tachycardia: anesthetics, antiarrhythmics, anticancer drugs, anticonvulsants, antidepressants, anti-manic medications, antiplatelet, antipsychotic, beta agonists, ergot derivatives, herbs, cocaine, inotropes, phosphodiesterase inhibitors, sympathomimetics, ...
If you're sitting down and feeling calm, your heart shouldn't beat more than about 100 times per minute. A heartbeat that's faster than this, also called tachycardia, is a reason to come to the emergency department and get checked out. We often see patients whose hearts are beating 160 beats per minute or more.