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Ventricular Tachycardia
Alternate Names : Tachycardia - Ventricular, V Tach, Wide-Complex Tachycardia
DefinitionVentricular tachycardia is a rapid heart beat initiated within the ventricles, characterized by 3 or more consecutive premature ventricular beats.
Overview, Causes, & Risk Factors
Ventricular tachycardia is a potentially lethal disruption of normal heartbeat (arrhythmia) that may cause the heart to become unable to pump adequate blood through the body. The heart rate may be 160 to 240 (normal is 60 to 100 beats per minute).
Ventricular tachycardia can occur in the absence of apparent heart disease. It can also develop as an early or a late complication of a heart attack, or during the course of cardiomyopathy, valvular heart disease, myocarditis, and following heart surgery.
Healed heart attacks evolve to form scar tissue which predisposes to ventricular tachycardia that may occur months after the heart attack. Ventricular tachycardia can also result from anti-arrhythmic medications (an undesired effect) or from altered blood chemistries (such as a low potassium level), pH (acid-base) changes, or insufficient oxygenation.
A common mechanism for ventricular tachycardia is reentry (re-stimulation of the electrical conductive pathway from a single initial stimulus). Ventricular tachycardia is classified as nonsustained (often defined as lasting less than 30 seconds) or sustained.
"Torsade de pointes" is a form of ventricular tachycardia with a specific variation in the conduction of the ventricular stimulus.
Ventricular tachycardia occurs in approximately 2 out of 10,000 people.
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• Definition
• Overview, Causes, & Risk Factors
• Symptoms & Signs
• Prevention
• Diagnosis & Tests
• Treatment
• Prognosis
• Complications
• Calling Your Health Care Provider
Topics that might be of interest to you Diseases & Conditions
• Angina
• Cardiomyopathy
• Heart Attack
• Mitral Valve Prolapse
• Myocarditis
Tests & Exams
• Blood Pressure
• CHEM-20
• ECG
• Holter Monitor (24h)
• Intracardiac Electrophysiology Study (EPS)
Other Topics
• Breathing Difficulty
• Chest Pain
• CPR
• Dizziness
• Fainting
• Heartbeat Sensations
• Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator
• Pulse - Bounding
• Stimulus
Review Date : 5/2/2002
Reviewed By : Elena Sgarbossa, M.D., Department of Cardiology, Rush-Presbyterian St. Luke's Medical Ctr., Chicago, IL. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.
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