Paroxysmal tachycardia is a kind of arrhythmia, in which there are attacks of a sharp increase in cardiac contractions, but their sequence is preserved. This pathology occurs quite often, both in adults and in children.
Classification, causes and symptoms of paroxysmal tachycardia
The paroxysmal tachycardia attack begins and ends suddenly, it can last from a few seconds to several days. And the end of the attack suddenly, regardless of whether the medicine was taken. Sometimes the instantaneous increase in the heart rhythm is preceded by a feeling of disruption in the work of the heart. The heart rate during the attack (paroxysm) is 120 - 300 beats per minute. At the same time in one of the departments of the conduction system of the heart there is a focus of excitation, depending on what the three types of this pathology share:
- atrial;
- atrioventricular (nodular);
- ventricular.
In clinical diagnosis, paroxysmal tachycardia is divided into ventricular (ventricular) and supraventricular (supraventricular).
An attack can be accompanied by such symptoms:
- chills, trembling;
- weakness, dizziness;
- sweating, increased frequency of urination.
Supraventricular paroxysmal tachycardia is usually accompanied by a heartbeat of 180 to 240 pulses, it is more often associated with an increase in the activity of the sympathetic nervous system. The causes may also be endocrine disorders, an imbalance in the number of electrolytes in the blood, etc. Atrial and nodal paroxysmal tachycardia is usually characterized by a regular heart rhythm, often accompanied by increased blood pressure, a sensation of a coma in the throat, a pain in the heart.
Ventricular paroxysmal tachycardia is characterized by a heart rate of 150-180 beats per minute and is more often associated with severe dystrophic changes in the myocardium, coronary heart disease, inflammatory diseases of the heart muscle, etc. An attack can cause loss of consciousness. This form is dangerous because it can cause ventricular fibrillation - a life-threatening rhythm disorder.
Paroxysmal tachycardia in children
Symptoms in children are essentially the same as in adults. During an attack, a child may complain of a feeling of fear, stitching pain in the heart, pain in the abdomen, nausea. The baby becomes pale, then cyanotic. The attack can be accompanied by vomiting, poor appetite.
In childhood, paroxysmal tachycardia in almost all cases is caused by increased excitability, which, with supraventricular form, often has a nervous origin.
Emergency care for paroxysmal tachycardia
If an attack of tachycardia occurs, you need to call an ambulance. Before the arrival of a doctor, you can try to stop the tachycardia with such methods:
- closing your eyes, massage the eyes with your fingers in the prone position;
- typing air full chest, close your nose and mouth and try to breathe out;
- artificially induce vomiting;
- cold wiping;
- take corvalol or valocordin.
Treatment of paroxysmal tachycardia
Treatment is prescribed depending on the origin of the tachycardia and the location of the impulses, which can be diagnosed with an electrocardiogram. Treatment will require the use of antiarrhythmic drugs. If the medication is ineffective, if the attack persists during the day and if symptoms of heart failure increase, electroimpulse therapy is performed. Treatment may include the appointment of acupuncture, vegetative drugs, psychotherapy. Modern methods of minimally invasive surgery are also effective.