What is sustained ventricular tachycardia?

Ventricular tachycardia most often occurs when the heart muscle has been damaged and scar tissue creates abnormal electrical pathways in the ventricles. Causes include: Heart attack . Cardiomyopathy or heart failure.

Sustained VT is when the arrhythmia lasts for more than 30 seconds , otherwise the VT is called nonsustained. The rapid heartbeat doesn’t give your heart enough time to fill with blood before it contracts again. This can affect blood flow to the rest of your body.

NSVT treatment depends on the cause and if symptoms are present . Potential options include medication that controls your heartbeat, a procedure that destroys the abnormal electrical part of the heart, and an implantable device that helps normalize the heart’s rhythm.

If you have ventricular tachycardia, you may be given medications called anti-arrhythmics by mouth or IV to slow the fast heart rate . Other heart medications, such as calcium channel blockers and beta blockers, may be prescribed with anti-arrhythmic drugs.