More SVT Help Please!

Heart health and blood vessels
1

Hey Everyone

Thanks for your replies to my previous post. You have all been so wonderful and helpful and made me feel as though it's not all in my head <3

Just an update to my previous post, I had an episode on while bending over in the shower and walked (or struggled) across the road to a newly opened medical centre and asked them to take an ECG. The ECG showed a normal sinus rhythm (with camel humps) that was 151bpm and had non specific ST segment depression and an incomplete right bundle branch block. Everyone kept calling it an SVT because it came on suddenly (as they always do) and I was clearly short of breath, dizzy and had a pounding sensation in the neck. It also stopped once I did the valsalva manover. Afterwards the doctor on duty was still concerned and ended up calling an ambulance (despite me insisting that this always happens and I was completely fine). The ambulance took more than 2 hours, then another 6 hours in ED for them to tell me I was fine and to see the cardiologist as planed.

I went and saw the GP who had done the ECG the day before as he had requested and he gave me a referral to see another cardiologist sooner (but I could only get in 4 days earlier so I'll just see the original one). He also mentioned that he has seen 2 patients in his life like me who ended up having Atrial-septal defects so he has put a bunch of recommendations to the cardiologist and has sent me off for some blood tests. He also suggested that the exercise induced asthma I get may be coming from my heart (echo has previously shown some tricuspid valve leakage) 

So we will see how that turns out. I'm a quite nervous but excited to be finally getting somewhere with it all. So I guess now my questions are;

Did anyone else have a similar ECG but be showing all the classical signs of an SVT?

Does Sinoatrial nodal rentry tacchycardia present a similar ECG

Does anyone with an atrial-septal defect present with the same symptoms?

Any more advice or suggestions would be much appreciated.

Thanks

Emily  

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PS) I should mention that while this ECG showed a heart rate of 151 I have had episodes in the past where I have counted my heart rate above 210bpm. 

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PPS) A paramedic friend suggested I keep trying to get these events recorded. Do you think this is worthwhile. Sorry for all the questions. I'm just so confused and don't know what to do!  

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What is it about the EKG you are worried about? SVT vs sinus tachycardia look about identical, as SVT is really just a completely normal heartbeat occurring too frequently (unlike a PVC / NSVT which is a ventricular only heartbeat). At 151 bpm it could be either SVT or sinus tachy but if it comes on out of nowhere, stops with a valsava and had st segment abnormalities it seems like that would almost certainly be SVT. 

I too have an atrial septal defect, observed during my ablation. My EP was very nonchalant about it, I had been concerned about them having to punch through to the other atria and asked after and he said they didn't have too because there was a small hole between the atria. He said it's no big deal and pretty common, though Dr. Google paints a bit of a different picture. Something I need to ask my cardiologist about at the next follow up. Oddly enough I've had two echos in my life and neither picked up the atrial septal defect.

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Hi Emily. This is very important if they are to have the data they need to make an accurate diagnosis and decide on the best treatment. If I were you I would ask for a long term holter/event monitor (and continue going to A&E with every episode) until they capture what they need.

Hope you get the care you need soon

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Just a quick update. I saw the electrocardiologist. It's definately SVT and I'll be having an ablation in the near future.