Ventricular tachycardia is a disruption of the heart rhythm disorder that occurs in the heart chambers (ventricles). This is in different from the far more frequent heart rhythm disorders that involve the atria (atrial tachycardia). Ventricular tachycardia is often abbreviated as VT.
VT is most typically seen in people who have previously had a blood clot in the heart, and therefore have damaged part of the heart muscle – a myocardial infarction. VT is also often seen in people with other types of heart disease. Occasionally, VT may occur in patients without any signs of heart disease.
Abnormal electrical signals from the ventricles – here the right ventricle.
For a physician, the most important thing is to discover whether a VT patient is suffering from a serious heart rhythm disorder or not. VT is typically considered serious if there are signs of other heart diseases, such as a previous blood clot in the coronary arteries of the heart.
This means that it is important that relevant examinations are undertaken to find out if there is any other heart disease present. This can be an ultrasound scan of the heart, called echocardiography, or an examination of the coronary arteries of the heart, as well as certain other procedures.
Treatment of Ventricular tachycardia
If your physician determines that you have a serious case of VT, they will begin treatment. This treatment is usually a combination of medication and ensuring that the patient has access to a defibrillator. In certain situations, it can be beneficial to undergo ablation treatment, which burns areas of the heart to prevent the arrhythmia from recurring.