Feeling like your heart is beating too fast is a scary situation. Maybe you’ve also been feeling dizzy or had chest pain. You're wondering what these mean for your health. You might be worried you’re headed for a cardiac arrest. But these symptoms could be signs you have a heart arrhythmia, like ventricular tachycardia.
The heart and vascular experts at UVA Health are here to answer your questions. We’re always exploring ways to spot, manage, and treat heart rhythm problems like ventricular tachycardia.
Our arrhythmia care was the first of its kind in Virginia. We've been nationally recognized and received several awards for our heart care. Becker’s Hospital Review named UVA Health’s Heart & Vascular Center to its 2023 list of 100 hospitals and health systems with great heart programs.
See other awards and recognition for our heart care.
A Dangerous Heart Rate
When Greg Szafranski's ICD shocked him multiple times, it was clear something was wrong with his heart. He was having a ventricular tachycardia storm (vt storm). He needed immediate help. At UVA Health, his care team was able to bring his heart rhythm under control and use a combination of treatments to get Greg out of the hospital and headed back home.
Ventricular Tachycardia Treatment at UVA Health
Here, you'll find the complete range of care options for ventricular tachycardia and other heart rhythm disorders. Ventricular tachycardia (v tach) can be hard to treat. But at UVA Health, we use the latest treatments to control and prevent it. Here, you'll find a number of options for treating v tach. From medicines to devices, we'll make sure you get the right treatment for your v tach.
Medicines
Medicines can treat some forms of ventricular tachycardia. These might be enough to keep your rhythm under control.
But these drugs can also have serious side effects. We also offer procedures and treatments that might be safer and more comfortable for you.
Catheter Ablation
We're specialists in catheter ablation. This procedure uses a small flexible tube (catheter) to burn or freeze (cryoablation) the parts inside you causing the fast heartbeat.
ICDs
An implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) is a small battery-operated device. It's put inside your body. It watches your heart’s rhythm and treats v tach by giving you an electric shock that sets your rhythm back on track.
Transplant
If these treatments don't work for you, you may need a heart transplant. We've performed over 300 heart transplants. That makes us the top heart transplant center in Virginia.
What is Ventricular Tachycardia?
Ventricular tachycardia is a common but serious heart condition. If you have heart disease or have had heart attack, you're more likely to get v tach. But sometimes healthy people with normal hearts get it too.
It happens when your heart beats too fast. Because of it, your lower heart chambers can't fill with enough blood. And they have trouble pumping that blood out to your body.
Ventricular fibrillation (vfib) is a kind of dangerous v tach. In vfib, there are too many electric pulses to your lower heart. Your heart is beating too fast and the extra signals make the pumping action chaotic. It can't pump blood.
If you have an episode of v tach, you might not feel any symptoms. But in some people, it can be severe. It can lead to sudden cardiac arrest. Symptoms include:
- Fast heart rate
- Racing, pounding, or skipping heartbeat
- Shortness of breath
- Chest pain
- Passing out
- Sudden death
Heart Ablation Could Turn Your Beat Around
Heart feeling out of sync? An ablation procedure could be the answer. Ablation of the heart changes how the electrical signals move through it, restoring a normal heart rhythm. If you have ventricular tachycardia, heart ablation might be the best treatment.