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Rapid Heartbeat (Tachycardia and Fibrillation)
editor
May 7, 2025
4:37 am
Tachycardia is a too-fast heartbeat that may cause symptoms such as dizziness, palpitations, chest pain, shortness of breath, or syncope (fainting). If the heart beats too fast, there is not enough time between contractions for the ventricles to fill with a normal volume of blood. A very rapid heartbeat may also be irregular or chaotic. This is called fibrillation. Tachycardias are divided into two categories, depending on whether they arise in the upper or lower chambers of the heart.
Table of Contents
Supraventricular Tachycardias
Ventricular Tachycardias
Supraventricular tachycardias (SVT) are caused by an abnormal electrical pathway above the ventricles, usually in the atria (the upper chambers). They are most often due to electrical signals that "short circuit," causing the heart to beat faster. SVTs frequently occur in people who do not have any heart disease. They are more common in the elderly, but they can affect people of all ages. The most common type of SVT is atrial fibrillation, an arrhythmia in which the electrical signals that trigger the heartbeat become very fast and chaotic in the upper chambers of the heart.

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Ventricular tachycardias (VT) are rapid heartbeats that arise in the lower chambers, or ventricles. VTs along with VF are the most dangerous arrhythmias because they interfere with the heart's ability to pump an adequate supply of blood to meet the needs of the brain and other vital organs. At times, ventricular tachycardia can change without warning into ventricular fibrillation, a deadly arrhythmia and may cause sudden cardiac arrest. The heartbeat becomes chaotic and the ventricles begin to "fibrillate," or quiver. The fibrillating heart muscle cannot contract and pump blood. Unless an electric shock is delivered to restore the heart's normal rhythm within minutes, death is inevitable.
Ventricular tachycardias often result from damage caused by a heart attack, cardiac surgery or other conditions that affect the ventricular muscle and the electrical conduction system that triggers the heartbeat. They can also result from rare, inherited heart defects. Sometimes, they occur in individuals who have no known heart condition.
It is now possible to determine which people are at greatest risk for VT and VF. If you have had a heart attack, or another condition that affects the pumping ability of the heart, ask your doctor if you are at risk for VT, VF or sudden cardiac death.
Category : signs & symptoms

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