{"id":3678,"date":"2019-02-16T11:43:08","date_gmt":"2019-02-16T11:43:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mybiosource.com\/learn\/?page_id=3678"},"modified":"2023-03-19T05:50:19","modified_gmt":"2023-03-19T05:50:19","slug":"ventricular-tachycardia","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.mybiosource.com\/learn\/ventricular-tachycardia\/","title":{"rendered":"Ventricular Tachycardia"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ventricular Tachycardia<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ventricular tachycardia (VT) is a heart rhythm disorder that develops because of abnormal electrical signals of the ventricles<\/span>, which is the lower chamber of the heart. In a normal scenario, the heart beats around 60 to 100 times a minute which are defined by the signals originating in the atria; the upper chamber of the heart. However, among individuals with this condition, the abnormality causes the heart to beat much faster than normal and out of synch with the upper chambers. Therefore, the heart is not able to pump sufficient amount of blood to the body and the lungs as the upper and lower chambers of the heart are not in synch with each other. If the condition only lasts for a few seconds it may not cause any symptoms, but if it persists, the symptoms may become evident. In the absence of structural heart disease<\/span>, this condition is termed as idiopathic ventricular tachycardia. And, it has accordingly been classified based on the ventricle<\/span> of origin, response to pharmacologic agents<\/span> and its morphologic features. In most cases, individuals with ventricular tachycardia often have other health conditions such as coronary artery disease, heart valve disease, high blood pressure<\/span> or an enlarged heart. In some cases, the non-heart related reasons for ventricular tachycardia may include an imbalance in electrolytes<\/span>, certain medications, excess alcohol and genetically transmitted conditions.<\/p>\n

In rare cases, individuals who already have other heart conditions such as a previous heart attack, the ventricular tachycardia could cause a life-threatening problem such as the sudden cardiac arrest<\/span>. The management and the prognosis of VT can differ greatly based on the individual\u2019s clinical status, the classification of VT and if they already have another heart disease<\/span>. Individuals with idiopathic ventricular arrhythmia<\/span> appear to have a better prognosis than those with structural heart disease<\/span> and ventricular tachycardia.<\/p>\n

Classification of Ventricular Tachycardia<\/strong><\/p>\n

Generally, patients with VT often experience structural heart disease<\/span> but those who don\u2019t have any structural heart abnormalities fall into these various categories;<\/p>\n