Most people with long QT syndrome can live normal and active lives with slight modifications. Treatment for long QT syndrome will involve trying to manage and prevent your condition. If your condition is not managed with conservative treatment, your doctor may recommend additional steps to reduce your risk of adverse events related to long QT.
Lifestyle changes are often recommended by healthcare providers because they can help patients manage symptoms, reduce complications and improve heart health. Talk with your doctor about how these heart-healthy changes can help.
- Eat a healthy diet. This includes eating fruits and veggies, lean meats, nuts, beans, fish and whole grains, while limiting sodium, added sugars and unhealthy fats.
- Limit alcohol. Men should have no more than two drinks per day and women should aim for no more than one drink per day.
- Reach and maintain a healthy weight.
- Get seven to nine hours of quality sleep per night.
- Manage other health problems, such as high blood pressure and diabetes, by taking medications properly and following your provider’s guidance.
- Stay physically active. Try to get at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise most days of the week. Talk to your provider about what exercises are good for you. Be sure to watch for signs that your heart is working too hard; if you become short of breath or dizzy while exercising, stop and rest right away.
- Stay up to date on flu and COVID-19 vaccines to help avoid getting sick.
Medications aren’t a cure for long QT syndrome, but they may help protect your heart from rhythm changes that can be life-threatening.
- Beta blockers: These medications block the effects of adrenaline on the heart, which slows the heart rate and lessens the force of heart contractions.
- Mexiletine: When taken along with a beta blocker, mexiletine can help reduce the risk of fainting and sudden death.
An implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) is a battery-powered device that is placed under the skin in the chest. Wires going from the ICD to your heart detect abnormal heart rhythms and then send an electric shock to the heart to get it back into a normal rhythm.
In this procedure, the surgeon places a small, battery-operated device called a pacemaker under the skin, usually near the collarbone. The pacemaker helps regulate your heart rate and rhythm.
Also known as left cardiac sympathetic denervation, sympathectomy is a procedure performed to remove specific nerves in the chest along the side of the spine. By removing these nerves, which are part of the sympathetic nervous system, nerve signals that contribute to long QT syndrome are interrupted.
