Ventricular tachycardia tips?

December 20, 2024 3:07 PM

I recently and surprisingly was diagnosed with ventricular tachycardia. In the next few months I have an EKG, stress test, and rest test scheduled, then we'll figure out what happens next. Any advice to get me through the next few months? I'm in good health, exercise, get plenty of sleep, and don't have a ton of stress other than living in the USA right now.

I'm currently on beta blockers, which are doing a good (but not perfect) job of keeping my heart from racing. While on beta blockers a holter monitor caught some beats at 174 BPM, but my baseline is a sinus rhythm and my cardiologist called the results "reassuring." (Before my taking beta blockers a holtor monitor had caught a heart rate of 255 BPM, so this is good.)

posted by anonymous to Health & Fitness (9 answers total)

I assume that routine blood tests would have disclosed any hyperthyroidism. Until my hyperthyroidism was diagnosed my heart rates were high (though, granted, not as high as you cite). IANAD.
posted by forthright at 3:59 PM on December 20, 2024

Not a doctor. Has anyone taught you the Vasalva Maneuver?
posted by ceramicspaniel at 6:17 PM on December 20, 2024 [1 favorite]

Heart Health: UCSF This is a link to the Osher Mini Medical School for the public where you can get reliable health information from cardiac specialists at the University of California system. Gregory Marcus is Chief of the Cardiology unit there, and they may have a specialist in ventricular arrhythmias that has a clinical trial or a discussion of the condition on "Grand Rounds", which is a discussion between doctors. UC has a You Tube channel that releases these discussions. Dr. Marcus also sponsors studies using electronic devices like Apple Watches to monitor arrhythmias in conjunction with physicians if you are interested in that sort of thing. I hope you find some useful information there.
posted by effluvia at 9:00 PM on December 20, 2024 [2 favorites]

Risk of heart attack goes up in the year(s) after getting flu and Covid. Stay up to date on your vaccines and consider masking in risky settings.
posted by congen at 9:01 PM on December 20, 2024 [4 favorites]

Eeep, upon further reading, the vasalva maneuver is probably not relevant to you. It’s better for SVT. Sorry!
posted by ceramicspaniel at 12:08 AM on December 21, 2024

My cardiologist does an EKG at every visit. I'm surprised if it's something you have to wait for. Perhaps you mean you will get another EKG to see how the meds are working.

A stress rest is basically having an EKG while you are on a treadmill. There is a pre-computed number for heart rate based mostly on age. When you reach that rate, the test ends.

Heart arrhythmias will be treated with meds unless meds don't work. If they think the beta blocker you are taking isn't working well enough, they may change med or dosage. In my case (very different from yours), I have a pacemaker which will detect any arrhythmias. I can see where a doc might like the data from an Apple watch.
posted by SemiSalt at 4:53 AM on December 21, 2024

This is a case report from a medical journal about a person who developed v tach following a mild covid infection. Title is "Ventricular Tachycardia as a Late Complication of COVID-19 in a Young Patient With No History of Cardiovascular Disease". The discussion provides more context for this diagnosis/complication and explores possible mechanisms.
posted by lulu68 at 6:15 PM on December 21, 2024

Here is another article from 2022, Arrhythmias in the COVID-19 patient.

And this is a review article from 2024: Cardiac Arrhythmias and Autonomic Dysfunction Associated With COVID-19: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association.

Not saying your case is related to C19 as IANYD/IANAD and there are other etiologies for v tach. Memail me if you would like the pdf and can't access it through the link.
posted by lulu68 at 6:22 PM on December 21, 2024

There's some variety to ventricular tachycardia, so it's hard to give management advice. But don't be surprised if you wind up getting an implanted defibrillator (basically a pacemaker with some extra modes) and/or an ablation. Both of which are essentially outpatient procedures or maybe one night in the hospital.

Wouldn't be surprised if Covid increases the risk of it, but VT was plenty common before Covid.
posted by neuron at 7:35 PM on December 24, 2024 [1 favorite]