What are the Common Supraventricular (Top-Chamber) Tachycardias?

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This is the fifth podcast in the What are Palpitations? series and it focuses on what are the most common supraventricular (top-chamber) tachycardias (SVT). We will be discussing a variety of the more common SVT seen in clinical practice and clinical scenarios are used to introduce the listener to these types of arrhythmias.  A brief outline includes:

  1. Premature atrial contractions
  2. AV-node reentrant tachycardia
  3. AV reentrant tachycardia
  4. Atrial tachycardia
  5. Atrial flutter
  6. Atrial fibrillation (will be discussed in great detail in podcast 6)
Electrocardiograms of Common Arrhythmias. Panel A, shows normal sinus rhythm, which is the heart’s baseline rhythm; the tall, narrow spikes are the QRS complexes. Panel B shows what a supraventricular tachycardia (in this case, atrioventricular nodal tachycardia) looks like; notice how narrow the QRS complex is. Panel C shows atrial fibrillation with the very irregular-appearing QRS complexes. Panel D shows ventricular tachycardia; note the very wide QRS complexes, especially when compared to the narrow QRS complexes after the VT stops. The main difference between SVT and VT is the wide QRS complexes, but some SVTs may have wide QRS complexes (this is called aberrancy). Panel E shows atrial flutter, which has a “sawtooth” appearance of the baseline between QRS complexes. Atrial flutter is treated using the same techniques and medicines as those for atrial fibrillation.

Please check back with the Heart Rhythm Center for future podcasts to include:

  • What Is Atrial Fibrillation?
  • What Are the Common Ventricular (Bottom-Chamber) Tachycardias?
  • Treatment Options for Arrhythmias
  • The Electrophysiology Study and Ablation Procedure
  • Possible Complications of Electrophysiology Studies and Ablations
  • Postoperative Care after an EP Study (and possible ablation)
  • Psychosocial Impact of Arrhythmias
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Published by Heart Rhythm Center

Dr. Williams obtained his undergraduate degree with a double major in Biomedical and Electrical Engineering at Vanderbilt University. He was then awarded a Keck Fellowship for graduate school at the University of Pittsburgh where he obtained his Master’s degree in Bioengineering. Dr. Williams went on to obtain his medical degree at Drexel University in Philadelphia and completed 5 years of Fellowship training in both Cardiovascular Diseases and Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiology at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. His unique background and extensive knowledge of both engineering and cardiology have earned Dr. Williams many accolades in both clinical and academic settings. He’s published over 20 manuscripts and abstracts in the field of cardiology/electrophysiology and has received awards from both the American College of Cardiology Foundation and the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Williams started in the Invasive Electrophysiology Laboratory at The Good Samaritan Hospital in 2008 and the Heart Rhythm Center published outcomes on pacemaker and defibrillator implantations as well as the safety and efficacy of high frequency jet ventilation during EP studies with ablation under his direction. He is Chair of the Quality Committee at the Florida Chapter of the American College of Cardiology.

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