When does an SVT become an SVT?

[John3333333]

Is it an SVT if you have a run of atrial ectopics lasting for less than 5 seconds? I experience bursts of PACs several times a week, but the episodes are currently short-lived. Occasionally the episodes feel irregular (AF?), and sometimes they are quite fast and regular (PSVT?).I've caught one episode on my Kardia. It lasted four beats (all PACs) and was picked up as possible AF, but doesn't the event have to last for a certain amount of time to truly be deemed AF?

Has anyone ever discussed this with their EP or cardiologist, or just have their own view on the matter? Information in medical journals, regarding short atrial events, is quite sparse.

[Jalia]

I'm 15 months post 4th ablation and often get masses of these ectopics every day with occasional bursts of possible AF per Kardia. They don't really bother me. They're supposed to be harmless. Certainly a vast improvement to what I was experiencing prior to last ablation.

Many of us, myself included, are highly tuned in to our hearts behaviour and misbehaviour, particularly post ablation. Those short bursts of AF would be termed paroxysmal . I would not get too wound up about these. Put your Kardia away for a couple of weeks and see how things are after that.

[John3333333 in reply to Jalia]

Thanks for your reply. It's hard not to be concerned about experiencing another lengthy AF episode when I suffer from these short runs, but I try not to dwell on it.

[Jalia in reply to John3333333]

I appreciate how difficult it is John. I am almost 30 years since diagnosis and remember vividly how consumed I was with it all in the early years and the main source of information came from US websites! Here I am 4 ablations and 22 DCCVs later.....

[Autumn_Leaves]

I’ve had runs of PACs picked up on a 24h ECG. I think they are referred to by some cardiologists as “salvos”. They’re not taken seriously, they’re considered to be “just ectopics”. They have been reported in one of my 24h ECGs as SVT but not in other reports. SVT just means that the origin of the tachycardia is above the ventricles, but in some people an episode of SVT can mean that an errant electrical path is triggered perhaps by an ectopic beat and then keeps going.The tachycardia can go on for a long time and sometimes people have to go to hospital. I think an ECG trace can identify what’s going on. My understanding that this errant pathway is quite different from a run of PACs. I’m sure there’s someone who can explain it better than me, but as for short runs of PACs, they’re just a few PACs and we’re all told not to worry about them.

[BobD Volunteer]

As we were told at one of our Patients days by a leding UK EP "if it lasts less than 30 seconds it doesn't need a name. "

Ectopics are ectopics not anything else. I once spent nearly three months with ectopics every 2nd 3rd 4th beat etc to 11 and back to 2nd, contantly. Irritating but they eventually stopped.

[Dolly1234567]

I just had a successful ablation, all going well it was for SVT. My SVT is now gooe hopefully but I was told my ectopics won’t ever go possibly they made fade .. but they are harmless… and not to worry xx

[Ppiman]

During a two-week Zio monitor, I was told that I had short bursts of AF like activity", so I don't think AF has to last any time at all: it is a fluttering of the left atrium preventing, for whatever period, NSR from occurring. A PAC is still NSR because the two nodes are operating as they should; AF isn't NSR because the AV node has no signal from the SA node to respond to (i.e. no "P" wave).

Steve

[John3333333 in reply to Ppiman]

Thanks for your response. Has your short bouts of 'AF like activity' improved, stayed the same or worsened over time? I understand some people don't feel their heart irregularities, so you may not be able to answer my question.

[Ppiman in reply to John3333333]

Hi John. I still feel lots of heart related “stuff” but I was never really aware of those short bursts in particular. I am always aware when my heart is having ectopics or racing slightly (85-130) and that feels no different from when I have AF, which is now unusual. I have gastric issues (hiatus hernia and reflux), too, so it’s very difficult to unpick symptoms. It’s no fun, as you very well know , and I’m sure that anxiety is a major component.

Steve

[RoyMacDonald]

Well it's not like my SVT events which can last for many hours with my heart rate depending on my activity at the time. Although sometimes it stabilises by itself during exercise when it goes back to a normal for me 150 bpm. It was diagnosed when I noticed that my heart rate was going to 240 bpm during exercise. It drops back to 60 bpm when I stop and do a sedentary activity. But I found it to be controllable with diet so don't have many events now. I also have IBS which complicates the SVT events sometimes. I'm 78 though so I'm guessing it's to be expected as things tend to get worse as you age.

All the best.

Roy

[MeganMN]

I have extremely frequent (50 or so an hour) runs of SVT (atrial tachycardia). I have had an ablation for mine and still get some. My EP doesn't worry about it until it became a very high burden.