To understand the causes of heart rate or rhythm problems such as tachycardia, it helps to understand how the heart's electrical system works. Your heart is made up of four chambers — two upper chambers atria and two lower chambers ventricles. Your heartbeat is normally controlled by a natural pacemaker called the sinus node, which is located in the right atrium. The sinus node produces electrical impulses that normally start each heartbeat.
From the sinus node, electrical impulses travel across the atria, causing the atrial muscles to contract and pump blood into the lower chambers of the heart ventricles. The electrical impulses then arrive at a cluster of cells called the atrioventricular AV node — usually the only pathway for signals to travel from the atria to the ventricles.
The AV node slows down the electrical signal before sending it to the ventricles. This slight delay allows the ventricles to fill with blood. When electrical impulses reach the muscles of the ventricles, they contract, causing them to pump blood either to the lungs or to the rest of the body. When anything disrupts this complex system, it can cause the heart to beat too fast tachycardia , too slow bradycardia or with an irregular rhythm.
Any condition that puts a strain on the heart or damages heart tissue can increase your risk of ventricular tachycardia. Lifestyle changes or medical treatment may decrease the risk associated with the following factors:. If you have a family history of ventricular tachycardia or other heart rhythm disorders, you may have an increased risk of ventricular tachycardia. Complications of ventricular tachycardia vary in severity and depend on how fast your heart is beating, how long the rapid heartbeat lasts, how often tachycardia occurs and your overall heart health.
Possible complications include:. A dangerous condition related to ventricular tachycardia is ventricular fibrillation V-fib. In V-fib , your lower heart chambers contract in a very rapid and uncoordinated manner. This abnormal rhythm happens most often in people with heart disease or a prior heart attack. It may also occur due to electrolyte problems such as high or low potassium levels or, rarely, in otherwise normal hearts.
Ventricular fibrillation may also cause sudden cardiac arrest and lead to death if not treated immediately. The best way to prevent ventricular tachycardia is to treat or eliminate risk factors that may lead to heart disease.
If you already have heart disease, follow your treatment plan and a heart-healthy lifestyle. Ventricular tachycardia care at Mayo Clinic. Mayo Clinic does not endorse companies or products. Advertising revenue supports our not-for-profit mission. This content does not have an English version. This content does not have an Arabic version. Overview Ventricular tachycardia heartbeat Open pop-up dialog box Close. Ventricular tachycardia heartbeat In ventricular tachycardia, an abnormal electrical impulse originating in the lower chambers of the heart ventricles causes the heart to beat faster.
In some individuals with frequent VT or VE, the abnormal beats result in weakening of the heart muscle which may progress to heart failure. There are rare cases where idiopathic VT can be dangerous and this will be discussed with you if relevant. Learn more about the different Heart Tests here.
You are currently using an outdated browser. For the best viewing experience, please upgrade your browser here. What are VT and VE? How does idiopathic VT occur? Is idiopathic VT dangerous? What tests do I need if I have VT? You may require the following initial tests: Blood tests — To determine if there is an underlying condition that has provoked your arrhythmia, such as thyroid or electrolyte disturbances and to check the condition of your liver and kidneys.
ECG — To evaluate your heart rhythm. Holter monitor — To evaluate your heart rhythm over a 24 h period. If you are in normal rhythm, this may reveal ventricular ectopic beats, episodes of VT, or other arrhythmias that correspond with your symptoms.
This may also reveal episodes of arrhythmia which you are unaware of. This form of ventricular tachycardia is easier to address and is usually not life threatening. Catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia CPVT is a genetic condition that can cause a fast abnormal heart beat from the ventricles.
CPVT may cause a loss of consciousness or sudden death due to the lack of blood pumped to the body. This inherited disease is common in individuals who have a family history of syncope , also known as fainting. When ventricular tachycardia lasts a short time, there may be no symptoms except palpitations — a fluttering in the chest. But ventricular tachycardia lasting more than 30 seconds may cause more severe symptoms:. Fainting syncope. Radiofrequency ablation : a minimally invasive procedure to destroy the cells that cause ventricular tachycardia; less effective when there is structural heart disease.
Implantable cardioverter defibrillator ICD : an implanted device that delivers an electrical pulse to the heart to reset a dangerously irregular heartbeat.
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