Supraventricular Tachycardia SVT in Children
Reassurance and Information About Diagnosis of This Heart Condition
Feb 21, 2009
Supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) is a type of heart condition, but in most cases it is not deadly. SVT is not like a heart attack. It can often be cured, and it doesn’t require open-heart surgery to cure it. It is a heart condition, but parents can rest assured that it is usually mild, and most likely will not harm their child.
Supraventricular tachycardia can be treated, and often cured. Episodes of SVT usually are not immediately dangerous, according to Dr. Mark Johnson, a pediatric cardiologist based in St. Louis, MO. Parents can find relief in this knowledge. Parents may even be able to treat episodes themselves, at home.
What is Supraventricular Tachycardia, or SVT?
Supraventricular tachycardia is an "electrical" problem in the heart (as opposed to a "plumbing" problem such as blocked arteries). An extra electrical circuit in the heart commonly causes SVT. As with many conditions, genetics may be to blame.
A tiny electrical impulse serves as the signal for the heart to beat. An electrical node in the heart delivers this tiny electrical impulse. The electrical impulse comes, the sections of the heart contract in series, and the heart “beats.” Signal, beat ... signal, beat. On its website, The American Heart Association says this electrical node acts as the heart’s natural pacemaker. A normal heart beats at a rate of about 40 – 100 beats per minute. In the heart with SVT, the sections of the heart contract in the same order, but not at the same speed, and not with the same efficiency.
When there is an extra electrical circuit in the heart, the heart receives two signals, and it beats in response to each of those signals. This results in double the normal heart rate, or a pulse of 140 to 250+ beats per minute. Dr. Johnson gives an analogy: the heart of an SVT patient is like an electric motor that has been hooked up to two power sources instead of one. It runs twice as fast as it should.
Is SVT Dangerous?
When asked if the heart could "burn out" similar to the way an electric motor would when supplied with more electricity than it was designed to use, he said, "Absolutely. If it goes on long enough, heart failure can occur, but there is no reason that should ever happen." (Emphasis added.) This is more reassuring news for parents. An episode of tachycardia does not need to last long enough to cause heart failure, and otherwise healthy hearts usually can handle short episodes. Treatment for SVT is straightforward.
Parents can often stop episodes of SVT at home when they notice symptoms. If the at-home treatment does not work, IV medications that will stop the episode can be given in the cardiologist’s office or the emergency department.
If the tachycardia occurs frequently, or if it doesn’t respond well to at-home treatment, heart medications called “beta blockers” can be prescribed until the child is old enough to undergo a procedure to destroy the extra electrical circuit. The procedure is usually performed when a child is around six years old.
While a “heart condition” diagnosis is always frightening at first, parents can rest assured that SVT isn’t necessarily dangerous. It can be treated easily, and often it can be cured completely. For more information, readers can click the links in this article.
