What are the symptoms and the treatment of ventricular tachycardia?

Ventricular tachycardia characterizes the acceleration of the heart rate more than 100 beats / min. With the outbreak in the ventricle. In 90% of cases, it occurs in people with organic lesions of the heart rhythm. Most often, a rhythm disorder is associated with ischemic disease. Also, tachycardia can result in myocardial infarction, congenital and rheumatic heart defects or various complications after taking psychotropic medication or some anesthetics.

Symptoms

The probability of this disease increases with age. Men are more exposed to him than women. In people younger than 35 years on the background of myocarditis, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, ventricular tachycardia can also develop . Symptoms are as follows:

• A feeling of strong palpitations, dizziness, restlessness;
• Shortness of breath, chest pain;
• Sensation of pulsation in the neck region;
• In some cases, there may be fits of weakness and fainting.

Pathophysiology

Ventricular tachycardia occurs in two manifestations: monomorphic and polymorphic tachycardia. The monomorphic variety is characterized by the fact that the sequence of impulse excitations is kept constant. It happens that the manifestation of this type of tachycardia occurs in people with a structurally healthy heart. In these cases, the clinical prognosis is usually favorable. Polymorphic ventricular tachycardia is distinguished by variability in the sequence of activation of the ventricles. The cause of the disease may be myocarditis, ischemia or genetic abnormalities in the structure of ion channels.

Treatment of tachycardia

Treatment of ventricular tachycardia is carried out by the action of antiarrhythmic drugs, which takes place against the background of measures to eliminate the underlying disease. As an antiarrhythmic drug, lidocaine is usually used. It is administered intravenously in the calculation of 1 mg per kilogram of the patient's weight. As a rule, this dose reaches 100 mg and is administered in a few minutes. In the absence of effect for 15 minutes, the drug is used repeatedly in the same Dosage. If the ventricular tachycardia accompanies the pressure drop, it is increased using pressor amines. This will restore the sinus rhythm. When cardiac glycosides are intoxicated, ventricular tachycardia is treated with potassium chloride and lidocaine or "Obzidan" is used.

Continuation of treatment after restoration of heart rhythm

When the rhythm is restored, the prognosis is evaluated and a patient management plan is drawn up. He is prescribed medication or a cardioverter-defibrillator, or catheter ablation. There are also combined treatment options. They are usually used if there is a serious structural pathology of the heart. Catheter ablation, for example, can increase the effectiveness of antiarrhythmic therapy or will reduce the frequency of discharges of an implanted cardioverter-defibrillator.