Paroxysm of supraventricular tachycardia is a rapid heartbeat up to 140-220 beats per minute. An attack can begin and end at any time, while the rhythm is different in regularity. Ectopic impulses appear in the atria, ventricles, or antrioventricular junction.
This type of tachycardia is dangerous because the heart functions with a vengeance, while blood circulation is in poor condition. In addition, unstable paroxysms of supraventricular tachycardia cause a lack of blood circulation.
Types of paroxysmal tachycardia
Classification is based on the formation of pulses. That is why the atrioventricular, ventricular and atrial forms are distinguished. The subventricular variety includes the atrioventricular and atrial types.
In accordance with the specifics of the development of the disease there are: a chronic form; acute form; manifested continuously - especially severe, the duration of which can be endless, in connection with which there is a total lack of blood circulation and arrhythmogenic dilated cardiomyopathy.
The main causes of pathology and its symptoms
Paroxysm of supraventricular tachycardia is formed due to deviations of the nervous system or damage of an organic nature. In the first situation with paroxysmal tachycardia, the heart muscle undergoes nerve stimulation. Its mechanism is as follows: a pathogenic region of excitation appears, causing abnormal myocardial activity. The heart rhythm is disturbed, untimely heart contractions, extrasystoles are diagnosed, supraventricular extrasystole is formed. This type of arrhythmia is the most common.
The organic causes of supraventricular tachycardia paroxysm are as follows:
- damage to the muscles of the heart, the conduction of the heart pathways that occur with ischemia, heart attack, cardiopathy, myocarditis and heart defects;
- Wolf-Parkinson-White syndrome and other diseases in which additional pathways are formed;
- heart pathology, structural features of this organ: additional adhesions, chords, mitral valve prolapse.
Extrasystole and paroxysmal tachycardia can appear even in healthy people, if there is an effect of pathogenic factors, as well as with severe stress and prolonged stress of high efficiency.
The listed reasons are called extracardiac. They also include the bad habits of the patient, such as alcohol abuse, smoking, addiction to foods that contain too much caffeine. When atrial tachycardia is diagnosed , it is advisable to check the hormonal levels of the thyroid gland. Pathologies of other organs can also cause paroxysm of supraventricular tachycardia. These include:
- impaired renal function;
- acute and chronic pulmonary pathologies;
- gastrointestinal tract diseases.
Supraventricular tachycardia has severe symptoms that distinguish it from the sinus variety. A sharp onset of an attack and its sudden completion, the total duration can vary from one minute to several days.
The patient initially feels a significant push in the sternum, after which a pronounced rapid, strong heartbeat appears. From 140 to 220 beats per minute is a great stress for the human body, so the patient feels the following symptoms:
- noise in the head;
- Dizziness
- heart constriction.
If there is no timely treatment started, then in medical practice there are cases of the onset of hemiparesis and aphasia. In addition, the unstable paroxysm of supraventricular tachycardia often disappears simultaneously with the symptoms of autonomic disorders:
- excessive sweating;
- intestinal bloating;
- nausea reflex;
- mild form of subfebrile condition.
When the attack ends, the patient observes the release of a large amount of light urine with low density values. With continued paroxysm for a long time, blood pressure decreases, weakness appears, a person loses consciousness.
Very rarely, paroxysm of supraventricular tachycardia appears on its own. Pathology most often acts as a consequence of another significant heart disease, so the patient needs a thorough examination and accurate determination of the disease.
Urgent Care
It is necessary to be able to provide emergency care to the patient with paroxysm of supraventricular tachycardia (according to ICD-10 code - I47.1.). Especially significant is emergency qualified assistance if a worsening of a person's condition is noticeable. She turns out to be competent specialists. In case of emergency, the actions should be as follows:
- Samples are vagal. First, a test of Valsalva is made, which is considered the most effective. In this case, the patient should strain and stop breathing for thirty seconds. In addition, it is recommended to breathe deeply and rhythmically. An Ashner test is also done . This manipulation consists in the fact that for five seconds they press on the eyeballs. Samples are not allowed in case of severe heart failure, impaired conduction, stroke, discirculatory encephalopathy and glaucoma.
- Massaging the carotid sinuses. However, this procedure is prohibited with a sudden decrease in the frequency of contractions of the heart.
- Immerse your face in cold water for a few seconds. This method can also be useful when stopping paroxysm of supraventricular tachycardia. The following drugs are most often used for attacks: Verapamil, Aymalin, Adenosine Phosphate, Sotalol, Atenolol, Amiodarone, Procainamide, Propranolol. If such actions turn out to be ineffective, then electropulse therapy or trans-cardiac cardiac stimulation is used. Before the arrival of ambulance personnel, you need to reassure the patient, lay him horizontally. It is necessary to provide the patient with an influx of fresh air. You can make vagal tests yourself.
This is the first aid for paroxysm of supraventricular tachycardia.
Diagnostic Features
For paroxysm of supraventricular tachycardia (ICD-10 code above), manifestations of a sharp onset of an attack and an equally sudden end are typical. The attack itself is diagnosed in accordance with the rapid heartbeat, which rolls over 130 beats at rest in a minute.
When comparing the supraventricular and ventricular types, it can be said that they differ in the degree of increase in heart rate.
For example, the first is characterized by an excess of pulse values ​​for 220-250, and the second is characterized by a heart rate of up to 180 beats per minute. Supraventricular tachycardia disappears when the vagal method of elimination is used, and this procedure does not affect the ventricular variety.
What changes can be recorded using ECG with a short paroxysm of supraventricular tachycardia?
- The shape of the polarity of the P-wave becomes different.
- The tooth is placed differently relative to the ventricular component.
The atrial type is indicated by the standard placement of the P-wave in front of the QRS complex. When paroxysm is due to the atrioventricular junction, the tooth appears to be negative, it is located behind the complex or is completely connected with it. The ventricular variety reflects well the expansion of the complex component, most often the tooth is fixed in its usual form, but ventricular extrasystoles are also visible.
In some cases, even an ECG with paroxysm of supraventricular tachycardia is not able to clarify the situation and identify a certain form of pathology. In this case, doctors prescribe an ECG during the day. Equipment is attached to the patient’s body that records and designates short periods of paroxysm during the day, that is, within the ventricular 3-5 complexes. These episodes are rarely felt by patients, but the ECG captures them and stores them in memory.
If necessary, specialists use an endocardial ECG. In order for everything to be successful, you need to find a knowledgeable and experienced cardiologist. Electrodes are inserted into the heart, recorded by the observation equipment, recorded by the doctor, based on them later conclusions are drawn that allow you to assign an effective and adequate treatment to the patient.
To exclude the possibility of an organic disease, it is also advisable to make a MKST, MRI or ultrasound of the organ with pathology.
Treatment of paroxysm of supraventricular tachycardia
The patient needs hospitalization in the event when an attack does not stop on the spot or in case of heart failure. Routine therapy is necessary if seizures occur more than twice a month. The disease should be treated using an integrated approach, which consists in building a daily regimen, proper nutrition, the use of medications and physiotherapeutic procedures. A cardiologist usually prescribes beta blockers. These drugs include Metaprolol, Anaprilin, Propranolol, Atenolol, Obzidan, and Vazocardin. In addition, sedative medications, such as tranquilizers or barbiturates, are used in the treatment.
Accompanied by paroxysm of supraventricular tachycardia with heart failure, digitalis-based preparations are used: Isoptin, Digoxin. Medicines are also prescribed that contain potassium. It must be remembered that such funds are very strong. That is why a cardiologist should choose them, given the severity of the disease, as well as the individual characteristics of the body. During treatment, physiotherapeutic procedures that are associated with water are recommended (therapeutic baths, baths with hydromassage, circular showers). In severe situations, surgical methods are used. These include: implantation of a pacemaker; destruction with catheters; radiofrequency ablation.
Anti-relapse treatment
Further treatment with drugs is carried out in accordance with the manifestation of seizures. When there is no result from self-stopping, the patient is prescribed a long course, which includes such medications as “Quinidine”, “Celanide”, “Etmozin”, “Digoxin”, “Amidaron”, “Desopyramide”, “Verapamil”.
Continuous use of cardiac glycosides reduces the recurrence rate of seizures and helps to alleviate the severity of the pathology. If there is no positive effect of anti-relapse therapy, surgical intervention is used, which includes ablation with radio frequencies, destruction of additional ways of production of an impulse, use of pacemakers, which have programs of one or another stimulation of cardiac activity.
Diet
The right diet also becomes an important part of treatment. That is why you need to abandon such products that cause tachycardia. Bad food is: confectionery, coffee, starch products, lard, fatty meats, butter, mayonnaise, sour cream, fried foods, margarine, canned food.
These foods include too much cholesterol that negatively affects the heart. In addition, salt intake should be minimized. It is recommended for paroxysmal tachycardia to eat low-fat and plant foods. The diet should contain the following products: vegetables, cereals, dried fruits, low-fat sour-milk and dairy products, fruits, seafood, nuts, vegetable oil.
Eat small meals at least six times a day. In addition, you should stop smoking and drinking alcohol. During treatment, stressful situations and mental stress must be avoided. Full sleep and moderate exercise are required. Patients are monitored for cholesterol and blood sugar. You can take medicinal plants at home to cure tachycardia. The most effective remedies are from motherwort, viburnum, rose hip, lovage, hawthorn and valerian.
How to treat tachycardia with home remedies
Traditional medicine can stop the attack and alleviate the human condition. To cure the patient, you need to restore the proportion of electrolytes in the blood. Supraventricular paroxysmal tachycardia is characterized by a serious imbalance. It is necessary to restore the following substances: potassium, calcium and chlorine. This can be achieved through treatment with plant glycosides and herbs. These include: valerian, motherwort, mint, hawthorn and lemon balm.
It can be treated without tablets with the following formulations:
- 40 g of lovage roots should be poured with a liter of hot water and strain after eight hours. Drink in small portions all day until the condition improves.
- In a three-liter container, pour three glasses of viburnum berries, then pour two liters of boiling water, close the container, wrap and insist for six hours. The broth is filtered, the fruits are squeezed, 0.5 liters of honey is added, and the jar is placed in the refrigerator. Drink a third of a glass for a month before meals. Then rest for ten days and resume treatment again. With paroxysmal arrhythmia, only three cycles are required.
The pharmacy tinctures of valerian, hawthorn and motherwort, each one bottle are mixed. The composition is placed in the refrigerator, you need to drink three times a day, before meals, a teaspoon.
What to do during an attack?
When an attack of paroxysmal tachycardia happened at home, you must act like this:
- calm down, do not panic and control emotions;
- with weakness, sudden dizziness and nausea, it is necessary to lie down or sit down comfortably;
- fresh air should flow to the patient, open the window and unfasten clothing;
- cause irritation of the vagus nerve: hold your breath for twenty seconds, put pressure on the eyeballs and tighten the chest press;
- drink the drugs prescribed by a specialist, observing the prescribed dosage;
- if you feel worse, call an ambulance.
Yoga breath
With paroxysmal tachycardia, yogic breathing and other similar techniques help. Buteyko and Strelnikova methods are also suitable. Examples of breathing exercises that are performed to relieve an attack are as follows:
- one nostril closes with a finger, through the free one you need to inhale, then exhale through the one that was clamped before;
- take a breath in three counts, do not breathe in two counts and exhale in three counts, hold your breath in two counts.
We examined what it is - paroxysm of supraventricular tachycardia.