Anyone have a child with SVT(Supraventricular Tachycardia)?

Question

My sister's newborn has just been diagnosed with this. Can anyone tell us about their personal experience with this?

Answer 1

Hi im31 and was diagnosed 9 yrs ago meself. I opted to have a radialablation done. My niece however was diagnosed when she was a baby and they put her on medication. She now is about 3 and doesn't have to take meds anymore. They say it is like a short circuit just in your heart. My little one when she was born had a heart murmur but she grew out of it a few mnths later. sometimes they say ir runs in the family. All i know is if they suggest meds make sure they check the rate of the babys heart and follow through with the right time everyday. goodluck

Answer 2

SVT is a rithym of the heart, that basically means "beating really really fast."

Some people's hearts enter this rithym sporadically due to a rare heart condition.

It is a hereditary condition usually passed on by the mother. It is a result of an extra electrical pathway on the valves of the heart. Think of it like an extra motor that causes the heart to beat faster.

My mother and I both have it and it caused her to have spells in which her pulse would reach the mid 200's prior to a surgery that fixed the problem forever. Most times, the episodes would last only a few minutes or even a few seconds. Although some spells would last for up to 5 hours. In these cases, we took her to the hospital.

I occasionally have spells where my heart beats very hard, as if twice in one beat. In my case, I have only had episodes that lasted mere minutes and usually were preceded by activity that normally raises my pulse anyway.

In some, it can cause dizziness or faintess and could cause damage to the heart muscle if it continues for long periods of time.

The method of curing this disorder is called an ablation. Basically a big tube gets put in (like a heart catheter), and the extra pathway that activates the heart's pumping action is burned off. My mother was in her late fifties before the doctors decided it was necessary for her to have surgery to correct the problem. I have not had the procedure.

I have never heard of this in an infant and to my knowledge did not exhibit any symptoms until I was in my teens. In my mother's and my experience it is a livable condition.

My grandfather is almost 90 and he has many other heart problems including this one. He has never had the ablation procedure. Usually the spells pass on their own.

In an infant, it may be cause for concern since his heart is much smaller than an adult's (or a teen's for that matter.) I would suggest talking to the doctor about the procedure to correct the problem. He may not even deem it necessary, or it may be too risky to do on such a young child.

Answer 3

Ok I am not a child, but I did have this disorder. Basically what is happening is this: There is a "switch" in your right atrium (upper chamber of the heart) that sends an impulse to the ventricles (lower chambers of the heart). There is a "gate" if you will, at the entrance to the ventricles that allows the impulse to continue it's course and that is to stimulate the ventricles to contract.The switch is set to fire at a set number of times per minute. The gate allows for a certain number of impulses to pass through. Sometimes, the switch malfunctions and sends too many impulses and the gate allows them through anyway. Sometimes there is more than one switch. There are a number of reasons and medical terms for what can cause SVT.
I had an atrial-nodal reentry SVT. I had several episodes. The first was at work (hospital). My heart rate was 188. I got light-headed. Blood pressure can drop, but mine was high. In the ER they had me try a valsalva maneuver. Only done with MD present. It didn't work, so they gave me a dose of adenosine. I had to get two doses of that. It "pauses" the heart for a split second so it can reset itself. It metabolizes VERY quickly so it has to be given fast. It worked. I went to a cardiologist. I tried several medications, but still had episodes. I opted for a cardiac ablation. They mapped out my heart found the irritable spot, and cauterized it. I was home by 10:00 pm. I have had NO problems since. What they do for children with this I am not certain. I hope my experience with it helps you out some.
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Answer 4

My daughter has suffered from fast heart rate for last 2 years, she is on a low dose of heart tablet, she gets fainting spells, where her heart is racing so fast, all the hearts tests are normal, just that her heart rate can jump from 115 -134 beats per minute and higher, she is 15 years old.