Causes of sinus tachycardia and other types of tachycardia. Symptoms, ECG signs, treatment

Tachycardia. Causes of sinus tachycardia. Diagnosis, treatment

Tachycardia is an increase in the number of myocardial contractions that exceeds 80 beats per minute. Having caught the symptoms of paroxysmal tachycardia or a more moderate increase in heart rate, patients think about heart diseases. In fact, tachycardia is not only an independent cardiac nosology, but also a symptom associated with dozens and even hundreds of various diseases.

Tachycardia should not always be perceived as a disease. It can be observed due to:

physical loads (from home to sports);
strong emotions (except for the "stress" level) - both fear and anger, and joy;
overeating (excessive intake of food and liquid);
having sex (not necessarily violent).

You should understand how dangerous tachycardia is during pregnancy. Frequent heartbeat is very undesirable for the expectant mother, as it provokes:

pressure jumps;
sleep disturbance;
a feeling of inexplicable anxiety.

All this can affect the normal development of the fetus. First of all, the trophic (nutrition) of developing tissues suffers, which can result in:

improper development of the fetus;
frequent diseases after birth, in childhood.

The essence and causes of sinus tachycardia

Sinus tachycardia is perhaps the "most popular" of tachycardias. It occurs because in the sinus node (an extremely important element of the heart muscle, which serves as the "controller" of the heart rhythm), electrical impulses are generated randomly.

There are many causes of sinus tachycardia. The heart node is very sensitive to pathological changes in the body. Therefore, sinus tachycardia can occur if the sinus node "didn't like" something, which, in fact, ensures the rhythmic contractions of the heart.

"Provocateurs" of sinus tachycardia:

myocardial nosologies (myocarditis, cardiomyopathy);
endocrine system shocks (thyrotoxicosis);
surgical diseases;
postoperative period;
infectious nosologies (including purulent surgical ones);
consequences of brain trauma and so on.

Diagnosis of tachycardia, differential diagnosis

Even if tachycardia appears to be "just a faster heartbeat", you can't just take and prescribe yourself pills for atrial tachycardia or injections. Treatment should be preceded by a meticulous diagnosis, which is prescribed by an experienced clinician.

The "queen" of tachycardia diagnostics is electrocardiography, which graphically "draws" the heart's electrical impulses. ECG is used to detail heart disorders - for example, conduction disorders. If the symptoms of paroxysmal tachycardia can be caught by feeling the pulse on the wrist, then the blockade of one or both legs of His is "caught" exclusively with the help of an ECG. Also, thanks to the ECG, it is possible to carry out a differential diagnosis between types of tachycardia - for example, to distinguish sinus tachycardia from paroxysmal (attack-like) supraventricular tachycardia, which is caused by conduction disturbances in the supraventricular fragments of the heart muscle. The main electrocardiographic signs of supraventricular tachycardia:

tachycardia attack starts suddenly - and ends almost instantly;
heart rate within 150-220 per minute;
QRS complexes are narrow, high (like candles), but without changes on the side of the teeth.

Treatment of tachycardia. Buying attacks

The main groups of drugs for the treatment of a tachycardia attack:

beta-blockers - inactivate stress hormones, thereby equalizing the heart rhythm;
cardiac glycosides are popular for arrhythmias complicated by heart failure;
sedatives (including herbal);
antioxidants protect the heart from ubiquitous free radicals.

Tachycardia is often accompanied by unpleasant spikes in blood pressure. Therefore, blood pressure medications for tachycardia should also be at hand for those who suffer from tachycardia.

What should and what should not be done with tachycardia

The condition of the patient depends not only on the pills taken, but also on his actions, because the district therapist cannot sit by the bed of such a patient every minute to provide him with help.

Patients should firmly learn what to do and what not to do with tachycardia.

What can not be done with tachycardia:

use drinks that contain caffeine and other stimulants, as well as alcohol;
to smoke (not even one cigarette for six months);
abuse salty food (it is better to exclude it absolutely);
to push yourself in the gym, doing the "intensive" program;
engage in self-medication (for example, in case of supraventricular tachycardia, take drugs against nodular tachycardia);

What to do:

get into the habit of measuring the pulse, don't be lazy to make daily curves (they will agree for the doctor's analysis);
actively consume fresh fruits and berries (especially raspberries, viburnum);
do light physical exercises, but regularly;
eat moderately - a full stomach pushes up the diaphragm, and it presses on the heart, preventing it from working - this is the answer to the question of whether tachycardia can occur after eating;
regulate the regime of work, rest, sleep, nutrition, sex.

Such simple actions can prevent severe forms of tachycardia. You can get more detailed answers to all your questions (for example, what is ventricular tachycardia of the heart and why is it dangerous, when antiarrhythmics are prescribed, etc.) by opening our website https://dobrobut.com/.

Medical assistance for supraventricular tachycardia in a child

Supraventricular tachycardia in a child is a fairly common heart rhythm pathology. It is manifested by short attacks of heart palpitations, but sometimes it can last for hours and for several days, although the child has never had organic diseases before.

Parents should not panic and try to independently relieve a tachycardia attack by all possible means. Only a pediatric cardiologist can find out how to treat heart tachycardia in children. In most cases, it is enough to eliminate the causes that cause these attacks:

physical tension;
emotional disorders (due to workload at school, conflicts with parents, first love);
vegetative disorders.

Medical care for supraventricular tachycardia in a child is not only medicines. In order to relieve the attack, the child should be taught to hold his breath and to exert himself (these are the so-called vaginal reflexes that counteract palpitation attacks).

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Diagnosis of heart rhythm disorders by ECG monitoring