heart and blood vessel disorders
Ventricular Tachycardia
Treatment of Ventricular Tachycardia
Converting heartbeat to normal rhythm Preventing further episodes Ventricular tachycardia is treated when it causes symptoms or when episodes last more than 30 seconds even without causing symptoms. People who have symptoms, particularly if blood pressure is too low, require immediate Cardioversion-Defibrillation (an electrical shock to convert the heart to normal rhythm). People who have no symptoms but who have had ventricular tachycardia for more than 30 seconds should be treated either with cardioversion or intravenous drugs. Cardioversion is painful, so sedation is required, but cardioversion is almost always effective and aside from the discomfort has few side effects. Drugs are not uncomfortable but are not as effective as cardioversion in stopping the abnormal heart rhythm (arrhythmia) and are more likely to cause side effects. The most commonly used drugs areamiodarone,lidocaine, andprocainamide(see table). The long-term goal is to prevent sudden death, rather than simply stopping the abnormal rhythm. In people with ventricular tachycardia who have an underlying heart disorder, particularly if their heart does not pump well, an Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator (ICD) (ICD, a small device that can detect an arrhythmia and deliver a shock to correct it) is often used. This procedure is similar to implantation of an Certain procedures may be used to destroy the small abnormal area in the ventricles, identified by ECG, that is usually responsible for sustained ventricular tachycardia. They include Destroying Abnormal Heart Tissue (Ablation) (delivery of energy using radiowaves, laser pulses, or high-voltage electrical current or freezing with cold through a catheter inserted in the heart) and open-heart surgery. 