A normal heartbeat, the electrical impulses that cause the heart muscle to contract in a specific sequence, pushes the blood through the heart with two adjoining pumps, one in the atrium and one in the ventricle. SVT, or supraventricular tachycardia, is an abnormally rapid heart rate, usually between 150 to 250 beats a minute, that begins in the atria, according to New York-Presbyterian. Many conditions can cause a malfunction of the electrical impulse.
Heart Failure
Heart failure is a condition caused by the lack of the heart's ability to pump oxygen-rich blood throughout the body. As the condition progresses, the heart works harder and faster. The risks for developing heart failure are increased in people with previous heart attacks, high blood pressure, heart valve disease, congenital heart defects and coronary artery disease, reports the Texas Heart Institute.
Possible symptoms of heart failure include difficulty breathing, tiredness, fluid retention, chest pain and a rapid heartbeat. Diagnosis of heart failure includes listening with a stethoscope for faulty valves or the presence of a rapid heartbeat, along with a chest X-ray to evaluate fluid buildup in and around the lungs.
Treatment options include medications to remove excess fluid, strengthen the heart's pumping ability and to lower blood pressure; angioplasty or stenting to open blocked or narrowed arteries; and surgical procedures such as heart valve repair, pacemaker insertion or coronary bypass surgery.
Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome
Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, or WPW, is a condition affecting the electrical conductivity of the heart in which there is an extra circuit in the pathway. WPW is one of the most common causes of a rapid heart rate in children and infants, according to MedlinePlus.
Possible symptoms of WPW, in addition to the rapid heart rate, include chest pain, dizziness, palpitations and shortness of breath. In WPW, the tachycardia may occur infrequently, or it may occur one or two times a week.
Treatment options include medication to control the heart rhythm, cardioversion to return the heart to a normal rhythm and catheter ablation in which the area of the heart causing the tachycardia is destroyed by radiofrequency.
Pregnancy
Sinus tachycardia, which is a regular rhythm with a very rapid heartbeat, is one of the most common types of SVT found during pregnancy, reports PDRhealth. Many of the symptoms of SVT, such as shortness of breath, palpitations, fatigue and lightheadedness, can be a result of the hormonal changes of pregnancy. An evaluation by a doctor can determine if the symptoms are related to pregnancy or to a heart condition.
