My 10 year old girl has an extremly high heart rate.?

Question

My 10 yr old daughter has an ongoing and consitant heart rate of between 120 and 180. I have taken her to a pediatric cardiologist who had holtz monitoring and cardiac event monitoring done for her to determine the problem. the holtz monitor revealed no abnormal heart functions just the high rate. I know that this is not normal and it scares me she has chest pains, gets dizzy and experiences heart palpitations and light headedness. I am not sure what else to look at they checked here for SVT and so far all they can tell me is that she has tachacardia. Im sure that prolonged time with her heart rate high like this will hurt her or damage her heart. Any suggestions of questions to ask the dr.

Cardiologist called me this morning. THe holz monitor showed no noticible defects other than the rapid heart rate.
Doctor said it was called inapproproate sinus tachycardia, and said that it was not something to worry about. I disagree with this as I have been keeping track of her HR and its between 150 and 180 most days.This cannot be normal. Im calling the doc for a second opinion.

Answer 1

This section which I have specially searched out from maerck manual will help is to question your doctor about, please read carefully and note it down:



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Pronunciations











arrhythmia

atrial

electrocardiography

fibrillation

tachycardia

ventricular

ventricular fibrillation

ventricular tachycardia


Ventricular tachycardia is a heart rhythm that originates in the ventricles and produces a heart rate of at least 120 beats per minute.
Photographs

ECG: Ventricular Tachycardia
ECG: Ventricular Tachycardia

Ventricular tachycardia may be thought of as a sequence of consecutive ventricular premature beats. Sometimes only a few such beats occur together, and then the heart returns to a normal rhythm. Ventricular tachycardia that lasts more than 30 seconds is called sustained ventricular tachycardia. Sustained ventricular tachycardia usually occurs in people with structural heart disease that damages the ventricles. Most commonly, it occurs weeks or months after a heart attack. It is more common among older people. However, rarely, ventricular tachycardia develops in young people who do not have structural heart disease.

Symptoms and Diagnosis

People with ventricular tachycardia almost always have palpitations. Sustained ventricular tachycardia can be dangerous because the ventricles cannot fill adequately or pump blood normally. Blood pressure tends to fall, and heart failure follows. Sustained ventricular tachycardia is also dangerous because it can worsen until it becomes ventricular fibrillation—a form of cardiac arrest. Sometimes ventricular tachycardia causes few symptoms, even at rates of up to 200 beats per minute, but it may still be extremely dangerous.

Electrocardiography (ECG) (see Symptoms and Diagnosis of Heart and Blood Vessel Disorders: Electrocardiography) is used to diagnose ventricular tachycardia and to help determine whether treatment is required. A portable ECG (Holter) monitor may be used to record heart rhythm over a 24-hour period.

Treatment

Ventricular tachycardia is treated when it causes symptoms or when episodes last more than 30 seconds even without causing symptoms. Sustained ventricular tachycardia often requires emergency treatment. If episodes cause blood pressure to fall to a low level, cardioversion is needed immediately. Drugs may be given intravenously to end or suppress ventricular tachycardia. The most commonly used drugs are lidocaineSome Trade Names
XYLOCAINE
, procainamideSome Trade Names
PROCAN SR
PRONESTYL
, and amiodaroneSome Trade Names
CORDARONE
.

Certain procedures may be performed to destroy the small abnormal area in the ventricles, identified by ECG, that is usually responsible for sustained ventricular tachycardia. They include radiofrequency ablation (delivery of energy of a specific frequency through an electrode catheter inserted in the heart) and open-heart surgery.

If other therapy is ineffective, an automatic defibrillator (a small device that can detect an arrhythmia and deliver a shock to correct it) may be implanted. This procedure is similar to implantation of an artificial pacemaker.

Answer 2

I don't know where you live, but if this were my child, I would definitely get another opinion.
If you are in California-go to UC Davis, or Stanford. If you don't live in California, contact these places by either phone or email, and ask them where to go in your state.
Don't give up on this. It's happening for a reason, and, I agree, it can more than likely hurt her heart.
Good luck to you both.

Answer 3

Tachycardia is treatable so either go back to the peds cardiolgist or find a new one and get a clear answer as to what is going on.