Ventricular tachycardia

Ventricular tachycardia (VT) is an abnormally fast heartbeat that starts in a ventricle, one of the lower chambers of the heart. A normal heart rate is 60 beats  to 100 beats per minute. In ventricular tachycardia, the heart rate may range from 120 beats to 240 beats per minute. Ventricular tachycardia may last  only for seconds, in which case, it’s usually harmless. But an episode that lasts longer can be dangerous.

Risk factors

Ventricular tachycardia usually occurs in people who have coronary artery disease or scar tissue from a heart attack, but also may rarely occur in people with a normal heart.

Symptoms

Symptoms of ventricular tachycardia include:

• dizziness
• fainting
• palpitations or feeling the heart beat
• shortness of breath
• chest pain

Prevention

Some cases of ventricular tachycardia are not preventable. In other cases, VT may be prevented by treating the heart disease that can lead to VT. Treating the life-threatening aspects of VT is possible with medication, ablation or an ICD.