All the nuances of paroxysmal ventricular tachycardia: is it dangerous and how to treat it?

Tachycardia is a condition that can pose a potential threat to the life of the patient.

This is especially true of the form of this pathology, which is called ventricular paroxysmal tachycardia( HPT), since it not only worsens the function of the blood circulation, but it can lead to the most sad consequences for the patient.

Description and classification of

The main difference between RPT and other forms of tachycardia isThe fact that the focus of frequent electrical impulses, which cause disruption of the heart, is generated in the ventricles or interventricular septum .

Ventricles begin to contract much more often than the atria, and their activity becomes dissociated( uncoordinated).The result can become

According to the clinical classification, paroxysmal ventricular tachycardia may be stable or unstable .The difference between them is that unstable forms of pathology practically do not affect hemodynamics, but significantly increase the risk of sudden death.

Causes and Risk Factors of

Most often, the development of FAT is associated with severe myocardial damage, and in only 2% of cases, tachycardia of unexplained etiology( idiopathic) is diagnosed in patients. Among the main causes of pathology include:

• Coronary heart disease( 85% of cases) and myocardial infarction;
• Post-infarction complications( cardiosclerosis);
• Left ventricular aneurysm;
• Acute myocarditis, which developed as a consequence of autoimmune and infectious diseases;
• Cardiomyopathy( hypertrophic, dilated, restrictive);
• Heart defects, congenital or acquired;
• Mitral valve prolapse;
• Arrhythmogenic ventricular dysplasia;
• Some systemic diseases( amyloidosis, sarcoidosis);
• Thyrotoxicosis;
• Romano-Ward Syndrome and Premature Ventricular Syndrome;
• Hypo- and hypercalcemia;
• Postoperative heart surgery or catheter presence in its cavities;
• Congenital heart disease;
• Toxic effects of certain medications( particularly cardiac glycosides) in case of an overdose or poisoning.

In addition, ZPT is sometimes observed in pregnant women due to the activation of metabolic processes in the body and the pressure of the enlarged uterus on the heart area. In this case, the tachycardia passes after childbirth and does not entail any health consequences.

Symptoms and signs on ECG

Typically, paroxysmal ventricular tachycardia attacks have a pronounced onset and ending, and usually last from a few seconds to several hours( sometimes several days). It begins with a strong shock in the heart area of ​​the , after which the patient has the following symptoms:

• Strengthening of the heartbeat, which is felt even without palpation of the pulse;
• Reduction of blood pressure;
• Pale skin;
• Burning, pain or discomfort in the chest area;
• Dizziness, lightheadedness;
• A feeling of squeezing in the heart;
• Strong fear of death;
• Weakness and fainting.

On the ECG pathology is characterized by the following features:

• Absence of connection of the P teeth with ventricular complexes( in some cases, the teeth are completely hidden in the altered gastric complexes), which means dissociation in the activity of the ventricles and atria;
• Deformation and expansion of QRS complexes;
• The appearance of QRS complexes of normal width among deformed ventricular complexes, which in shape resemble the bundle block of the bundle on the ECG.

Diagnosis and emergency care for an

fit Diagnosis of a prostate cancer includes the following:

• A history of .An analysis is made of the patient's general health, the conditions under which tachycardia attacks occur, the identification of risk factors( co-morbidities, genetic factors, the presence of pathology in close relatives).
• General inspection .Blood pressure and heart rate are measured, examination of the skin, listening to the heart rhythm.
• Blood and urine tests .General analyzes allow us to identify comorbid disorders( we recommend studying the decoding of the general blood test in adults in the table), and the biochemical blood test - the level of cholesterol, triglycerides, blood electrolytes, etc.
• Electrocardiogram .The main study, which is used to differential diagnosis of prostate cancer.
• Holter monitoring .Daily Holter monitoring on the cardiac rhythm ECG, which allows to determine the number of episodes of tachycardia per day, as well as the conditions under which they occur.
• Echocardiography of the .It allows to evaluate the state of the heart structures, to reveal conduction and contractile function of the valves.
• Electrophysiological study of .It is carried out to identify the exact mechanism of the development of the FAT with the help of special electrodes and equipment that record biological impulses from the heart surface.
• Load tests .Used to diagnose coronary heart disease, which is the most common cause of the pathology, and also to observe how the ventricular tachycardia changes depending on the increasing load.
• Radionuclide study of .It makes it possible to identify the zone of involvement of the cardiac muscle, which can be the cause of RPT.
• Coronary angiography of the heart vessels with ventriculography .Investigation of blood vessels and the cavity of the heart for narrowing of the arteries of the heart and aneurysms of the ventricles.

Differential diagnosis of ventricular paroxysmal tachycardia is performed with a supraventical tachycardia accompanied by aberrant electrical impulse and broadened QRS complexes, bundle bundle blockage, tachy-dependent intraventricular blockades.

Lidocaine, ethmosine, ethacyzine, mexitil, novocaineamide, aymalin, disopyramide are used as medicines for arresting seizures. It is not recommended to use methods of irritation of the vagus nerve , as well as preparations of verapamil, propranolol and cardiac glycosides.

Treatment and rehabilitation

Treatment of RPT is carried out on an individual basis, depending on the patient's condition and the cause of the pathology.

electropulse treatment ( restoration of the heart rhythm with the help of electric impulses) is used as therapeutic measures, if it is impossible to use it, the appropriate medications, and in the most complicated cases, surgical operations.

Conservative( drug) therapy of RPT involves the use of the following drugs:

• Antiarrhythmic drugs, which restore and maintain heart rate;
• Blockers of beta-adrenergic receptors - reduce heart rate and lower arterial pressure;
• Calcium channel blockers - restore the normal rhythm of heartbeats, dilate blood vessels, reduce blood pressure;
• Omega 3 fatty acids - lower blood cholesterol levels, prevent blood clots and have anti-inflammatory effect.

Surgical treatment is performed in the presence of the following indications:

• History of ventricular fibrillation;
• Serious changes in hemodynamics in patients with postinfarction FAT;
• Persistent extrasystolic allorhythmia;
• Frequent, recurrent seizures of tachycardia in patients who underwent myocardial infarction;
• Disorders, pathologies and diseases resistant to drug therapy, as well as the inability to use other therapies.

is used as a surgical technique to implant electrical defibrillators and pacemakers , as well as destroying the source of arrhythmia with the help of a radio-frequency pulse.

This video is about new research and treatment options for this disease:

Prognosis and possible complications of

Possible complications of the prostate cancer include:

• Hemodynamic disorders( congestive circulatory insufficiency, etc.);
• Ventricular fibrillation and fibrillation;
• Development of heart failure.

The prognosis for the patient depends on the frequency and intensity of the seizures, the cause of the pathology and other factors, but unlike the supraventricular paroxysmal tachycardia, the ventricular form is generally considered an unfavorable diagnosis of .

For example, in patients with a stiffened prostate cancer that occurs within the first two months after myocardial infarction, life expectancy does not exceed 9 months.

If the pathology is not associated with large-focal lesions of the heart muscle, the average is 4 years( medication can increase life expectancy to 8 years).

Prevention measures

To avoid attacks of tachycardia in the future, it is necessary to exclude factors that may lead to their occurrence( for example, stressful situations) if possible, to visit the attending physician regularly, to take prescribed medications, and in complicated cases to undergo a planned hospitalization for additional studiesand the definition of further treatment tactics.

Prevention of the development of FAT can be achieved through the following measures:

• Prevention and timely treatment of diseases that can cause pathology;
• Abandonment of bad habits;
• Regular physical training and outdoor exercise;
• Balanced nutrition( restriction of consumption of fatty, fried, smoked and salty foods);
• Control of body weight, as well as the level of sugar and cholesterol in the blood;
• Regular( at least once a year) preventive examinations at the cardiologist and ECG.

Therefore, , at the first suspicion of an attack, urgently needs to seek medical assistance from , as well as undergo a full examination to identify the causes of the pathology and to prescribe adequate treatment.