Can you feel ventricular tachycardia

Ventricular tachycardia VT is a rapid heart rate that originates in the lower chambers of the heart, or ventricles, due to a malfunction of the heart's electrical system. VT is defined by a pulse of more than beats per minute with at least three irregular heartbeats in a row. The heart may beat inefficiently which can result in the body not receiving an adequate blood supply.

VT can be harmless if it lasts only a few beats, but if it continues and is untreated, it can be life-threatening and cause sudden cardiac death. Symptoms of VT can include a feeling of a racing heart or that the heart is going to burst, lightheadedness and fatigue, chest pain and anxiety. Treatments depend on the symptoms and underlying cause. VT can also occur without any symptoms. Please turn on JavaScript and try again.

Important Phone Numbers. Topic Contents What is ventricular tachycardia? What causes it? What are the symptoms? How is VT diagnosed? How is it treated? Where can you learn more? Top of the page. What is ventricular tachycardia? Symptoms of VT include: Palpitations.

This is an uncomfortable awareness of the heart beating very fast or not in a regular way. Feeling dizzy or light-headed. Shortness of breath.

Chest pain or pressure. Near-fainting or fainting. An echocardiogram looks at the structure of your heart. A stress test can show if the heart muscle is getting enough blood or if there are any blockages in the arteries of the heart. An electrophysiology EP study can find specific areas of your heart that may be causing the VT. Goals of treatment are to: Prevent an abnormal heartbeat. Improve your symptoms.

Prevent cardiac arrest the heart stops pumping blood and sudden death. If there is any weakness, we look for scar tissue. In addition to ultrasounds, you will need an electrocardiogram EKG, ECG —which measures electrical activity in your heart. If your cardiologist suspects scar tissue, he might perform a type of scan called a cardiac MRI. Supple says. Some show markers that they could cause sudden death. There are many different types of treatment available, including a wide variety of medications.

However, Dr. Supple warns that while these medications can be very effective, they can also have serious side effects.

Since long-term medication use can have side effects, many patients opt for a minimally invasive procedure called cardiac ablation. In this procedure, physicians use catheters to find and trigger V-tach episodes. The physicians then use radiofrequency energy to heat up the abnormal heart tissue. According to Dr.