>Introduction
Supraventricular tachycardia is typically not life-threatening, except when you have other concurrent heart conditions. Contact your healthcare provider if you experience the following:
- Your first episode of rapid heartbeat or palpitations lasts longer than a minute or two.
- You've had previous supraventricular tachycardia episodes, and the current one doesn't respond to vagal maneuvers like coughing, deep breathing, or muscle tensing.
If you experience any of the following conditions, seek immediate help by calling 911 for emergency assistance:
- Rapid heartbeat accompanied by dizziness or fainting.
- Rapid heartbeat along with chest pain.
- Shortness of breath combined with a rapid heartbeat.
Self-Care at Home
In most cases, supraventricular arrhythmias are not dangerous. Mild arrhythmias, such as isolated premature beats, may require no treatment. However, some people may experience more severe arrhythmias that necessitate immediate or prolonged treatment. If you experience symptoms, you can try various vagal maneuvers to help slow your heart rate:
- Hold your breath for a few seconds.
- Place your face in cold water.
- Cough.
- Tense your stomach muscles as if you're having a bowel movement.
If these maneuvers don't alleviate your symptoms, lie down and relax while taking slow, deep breaths. Often, your heart rate will slow naturally. If your symptoms persist, seek immediate transportation to a hospital. Those with frequent rapid heartbeat episodes should consult a medical professional.
Adopting a healthy lifestyle can help control your condition:
- Learn to count your pulse, ensuring it falls between 50 and 100 beats per minute and is regular.
- Consult your healthcare provider before taking over-the-counter cough, cold, or pain medicines.
- Regular exercise can strengthen your heart, lower blood pressure, and heart rate.
- Practice relaxation techniques, such as muscle relaxation, deep breathing, meditation, and biofeedback, to manage stress.
- Manage other health conditions by following your doctor's advice.
- Quit smoking.
- Reduce caffeine intake.
- Avoid illicit drug use as most can stimulate your heart.
- Maintain a healthy weight and follow a low-fat, cholesterol, and low-salt diet.
- Limit excessive alcohol consumption.
Follow-up
Depending on the severity of your symptoms and the underlying cause of your supraventricular tachycardia, your healthcare provider may monitor your progress over several weeks or months for several reasons:
- To assess the frequency of arrhythmia recurrence and heart rate.
- To make medication adjustments or changes based on clinical, repeated ECG, or Holter monitoring.
- To plan further therapy if your condition worsens.
Prevention
You can take steps to prevent supraventricular tachycardia:
- Reduce stress in your life.
- Exercise regularly and maintain a healthy lifestyle.
- Eliminate caffeine, stimulants, and alcohol from your routine.
- Adhere to medications and medical advice.
- Learn more about your condition.
Outlook
Most people with episodes of paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia live a healthy life without restrictions. If you take medications, you may or may not experience some side
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