How long can the heart sustain a rate of above 200 beats per minute?

Question

How long can the heart sustain a rate of above 200 beats per minute before signs of failure begin to show?

Answer 1

You'd be surprised. I'd see a Dr. if this is the case. It is a sign of a heart problem or other condition.

Answer 2

I had a heart rate which stuck at 240 beats per minute and had to have a procedure called a radiofrequency ablation. It is very uncomfortable to have your heart beating that fast and I used to take deep breaths and bear down like I needed to give birth to try to make it stop. The ER doctors knew when I came what the problem was. There is a drug on the market called Adenocard which made my heart stop, then do what I call re-organization. When it started beating again, it would be at a normal rate. You can ask any physician about this and they will tell you I am not kidding. If your heart beats at 200 for a long period, it poops and in effectively pumps the blood and causes heart failure. You have to go to the ER and have it corrected. After the Adenocard, I always got a whopping headache.

Answer 3

It really depends on the cause. Is it an arrythmia or truly trying to pump that fast? It also depends on the persons other health problems and the overall health of the heart muscle.

Some folks could live for hours, while others would die in mere minutes. Either way, I'd get checked out pretty quickly.

It doesn't matter how long they live, a heart rate that fast isn't good for the heart. (or other organs.) Remember that other organs need blood to survive, and if the heart is beating that fast, then it cannot pump much blood during each beat. This would lead to a decrease in the overall amount of blood reaching other organs, and can lead to permanent damage relatively quickly. Good luck.

Answer 4

I had AV node re entrant tachycardia and sustained a heart rate of around 230-240 for over 3 hours. I ended up in the ER and had to get Adenosine to make it stop.
Actually I have had heart rates that high over 50 times and the nurses in the ER would just totally flip out when I walked in and were adamant I lie down and do all this ****. One nurse told me I would go into heart failure and die if I did not take the dose of Adenosine immediately. I asked for 30 minutes to see if I would kick out of it on my own. If you have ever had Adenocard (Adenosine) you know what I am talking about. It is scarey.
The electrophysiologist who cured me with a radiofrequency ablation told me I would not die from the fast heart beat. He said it was just scarey to be in it which is true. I am wondering why your are asking.

Answer 5

There's no set time limit. Still it needs to be corrected quickly before it leads to further complications. A sustained heartrate this high is a sign of a serious problem. Seek medical attention.

Answer 6

Not too long.