Supraventricular tachycardia that causes no or occasional symptoms may not require treatment. When you need treatment, it will be based on the type and severity of supraventricular tachycardia.
If you are actively experiencing a supraventricular tachycardia episode, a healthcare provider dunks your head in ice water. This can slow your heart down and immediately stop the supraventricular tachycardia episode.
Your healthcare provider gently massages the carotid artery, which runs through your neck, to stop an active supraventricular tachycardia event.
Daily medication can help keep your heart in rhythm and reduce the risk of supraventricular tachycardia episodes. Medicine can also stop a severe event.
- Beta blockers: These medications block the effects of adrenaline on the heart, which slows the heart rate and lessens the force of heart contractions.
- Calcium channel blockers: These medications block calcium channels to the heart cells, which slows the heart rate and helps manage arrhythmias.
- Digoxin: This medication helps treat heart failure and irregular heart rhythms.
If you have supraventricular tachycardia, you can take steps to limit the frequency and intensity of episodes. To do this, limit or totally avoid supraventricular tachycardia triggers. Some common SVT triggers include:
- Alcohol
- Caffeine
- Illegal drugs
- Tobacco
You hold your nostrils and attempt to blow air through your nose. This maneuver, which can help stop a supraventricular tachycardia attack, is performed by or under the supervision of a health professional.
In catheter ablation (also called radiofrequency ablation), a thin, flexible tube called a catheter is inserted into a blood vessel and threaded to the heart. Electrodes inside the catheter allow your cardiologist to find the problem areas and destroy the abnormal tissue with radiofrequency energy.
