Tachycardia is a dangerous medical condition in which the heart rate increases beyond 100 beats per minute. There are different forms of tachycardia-atrial/supraventricular, sinus, and ventricular-and it can even be caused by other diseases. If you are prone to recurrent tachycardia, talk to your doctor to determine the best treatment and prevention options for you.
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Method 1 of 3: Part One: Home Treatments and Prevention
Step 1. Use the Valsalva maneuver
When your heart rate starts to increase, pinch your nose with your thumb and forefinger. Try to blow air out of your nose while keeping your nose pressed.
Although simple, this procedure can change the rhythm of the electrical impulses in the heart and help the heart rate return to normal
Step 2. Trigger the dive reflex
Fill a clean tub or basin with ice-cold water. Hold your breath, then quickly dip your face into the water.
- You can also submerge your entire body in ice cold water for the same effect.
- When you step into cold water, your body automatically slows down your heart rate in an attempt to survive.
Step 3. Try another simple vagal maneuver
A vagal maneuver is any action that affects the vagus nerve. These nerves help regulate heart rate. By forcing the vagus nerve to act, you trigger the electrical impulses that control your heart rate to slow down, so that it returns to normal within a few minutes.
- The Valsalva maneuver and the dive reflex are technically vagal maneuvers. Because they can have a dramatic effect on the vagus nerve, they are the two most commonly used types of vagal maneuvers.
- Other vagal maneuvers include coughing, triggering the gag reflex, applying an ice pack to the face, and applying gentle pressure to the eyeball with the eyelid closed.
- To be safe, it is wise to ask your doctor for further instructions on how to safely perform this maneuver.
Step 4. Cut down on substances that can trigger tachycardia
If you are at risk for recurrent attacks of tachycardia, you should change your lifestyle and reduce all substances that put unnecessary strain on the heart. These substances include caffeine, alcohol, and tobacco.
- Recreational drugs, especially those that act as stimulants, of course are also not good for your heart.
- Also be careful with drugs that can be purchased without a prescription. Colds and cough medicines, in particular, may contain stimulants, and some of them may be enough to cause an attack of tachycardia if you are already prone to it.
Step 5. Rest more often
Get enough sleep and minimize stress both physically and mentally.
- Aim to get approximately 7 to 9 hours of sleep each night.
- If you live a very active lifestyle, cut back. Just as you notice any changes in your heart rate, stop the activity and rest.
- If you have to deal with mental stress, try different methods to reduce stress until you find one that works for you.
Step 6. Maintain a healthy diet and do moderate exercise
To improve overall heart health, exercise regularly and eat a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, but low in fat.
- Exercise and eating well can also help you lose weight if you are overweight. Because being overweight puts you at greater risk for heart disease, maintaining a healthy weight will reduce that risk.
- However, talk to your doctor before making drastic changes to your routine, especially when it comes to exercise. If you do strenuous exercise with an already weak heart, it can lead to attacks of tachycardia. Light to moderate levels of exercise are usually best.
Method 2 of 3: Part Two: Medical Treatment for Acute Attacks
Step 1. Know when to call for help
As soon as an unexplained tachycardia occurs, you need to act. If you can't get your heart rate down within a few minutes of doing home treatments, call your doctor or go to the hospital.
- Unexplained tachycardia refers to any form of increased heart rate that is not caused by exercise.
- If the tachycardia is accompanied by palpitations, dizziness, lightheadedness, fainting, fatigue, shortness of breath, or chest pain, go to the emergency department immediately.
Step 2. Ask for a carotid sinus massage
This is a special massage technique that applies gentle pressure to the neck, especially at the point where the carotid artery splits into two separate branches.
- You should never try to do a carotid sinus massage yourself or ask someone else to do it. This treatment should only be performed by a trained medical professional.
- If not done properly, this massage can actually increase the risk of blood clots, stroke, heart injury, or lung injury.
Step 3. Talk to your doctor about antiarrhythmic drugs
During an emergency, a doctor or nurse at the hospital may prescribe a fast-acting antiarrhythmic drug to treat a tachycardia attack. Patients at risk for tachycardia may also be given slow-acting oral antiarrhythmic drugs to take at home during an attack of tachycardia.
- Commonly used oral versions of the drug include flecainide and propaphenone. Unless instructed otherwise by your doctor, you should take this medication only if you have dizziness, chest pain, or lightheadedness associated with an acute attack of tachycardia.
- The fast-acting version of the drug includes adenosine.
Step 4. Rely on cardioversion in an emergency
In this procedure, the doctor or paramedic will send an electric shock to the heart through a paddle or patch that is strategically placed on the chest.
- Electric current affects the electrical impulses that control the heart. Usually, this is enough to return the heart rate to a healthy rate and rhythm.
- Because the procedure is quite severe, it is generally used only when maneuvers, massage, and medications don't work. It can also be used if your doctor assesses your condition as an emergency.
Method 3 of 3: Part Three: Medical Repetition Prevention
Step 1. Diagnose and treat the main condition
Often, tachycardia is just a symptom of a disease rather than a disease itself. The best way to prevent tachycardia in this condition is to treat the underlying condition rather than focusing on the tachycardia.
- High cholesterol or hypertension (high blood pressure) can increase the risk of tachycardia and should be treated with lifestyle changes and medication as needed.
- Tachycardia caused by fever should be treated with fever-reducing medications such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen.
- Certain forms of hyperthyroidism can cause tachycardia. Treat the condition with antithyroid drugs or radioactive iodine. You may also need to have surgery to remove the thyroid gland.
- If the main cause is a blood clot in the lungs, the clot will need to be dissolved with medication. The medication should also help prevent other clots from forming in the future.
- Pneumonia and other infections that cause tachycardia will need to be treated with antibiotics and other appropriate medications.
Step 2. Find out about catheter ablation
The doctor will insert a catheter through the groin, arm, or neck area, and direct it through the blood vessels to the heart. The tip of the catheter is equipped with special electrodes, and these electrodes can use heat, cold, or radio frequency to destroy any extra electrical pathways that are there.
- Because this prevention method works by damaging or "ablation" electrical pathways in a way that prevents them from sending signals, they are only used when there is an extra electrical pathway causing repeated bouts of tachycardia.
- This procedure is usually used to treat supraventricular tachycardia and usually works very well.
Step 3. Ask your doctor about regular doses of medication
In some cases, your doctor may prescribe oral antiarrhythmic drugs to take regularly, even when you're not experiencing tachycardia. Routine medications often help prevent tachycardia from occurring.
- Depending on the situation, your doctor may prescribe other routine medications to take instead of or at the same time as antiarrhythmic drugs.
- Other medications include calcium channel blockers (calcium channel blockers), such as diltiazem or verapamil, and beta blockers (beta blockers), such as metoprolol or esmolol. Your doctor may also prescribe digoxin, which reduces electrical impulses entering the lower chambers of the heart (ventricles), but this option tends to be less effective than other options.
Step 4. Get a pacemaker or an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD)
Both devices are surgically placed as implants in the chest and help control the electrical pulses that regulate the heart. Your doctor will know which one is likely to be more helpful according to your specific condition.
- The pacemaker monitors the heart rate. When an abnormal heart rate is detected, the device sends an electrical pulse to help bring the heart rate back to normal.
- The implantable cardioverter-defibrillator also monitors the heart rate. The device only reacts when an increased heart rate is detected, and at that time, the device emits a calibrated electric shock to bring the heart rate back to normal.
Step 5. Talk to your doctor about surgery
In rare cases, your doctor may suggest open heart surgery. This preventive treatment will only be recommended if other treatments have not worked or if surgery is necessary to treat a related medical condition.
- In the first type of surgery, the doctor will destroy all the extra electrical pathways that are responsible for the tachycardia.
- In the second type of surgery, called the “labyrinth procedure,” the doctor will make small incisions in the heart tissue to create a “labyrinth” of scar tissue. The scar tissue will not conduct electricity, so all stray electrical impulses responsible for the tachycardia will be blocked as a result.
Warning
- If you notice someone has tachycardia, you may need to perform emergency CPR, depending on the severity of the situation. This should especially be done if the person is unconscious and unresponsive.
- If you have experienced tachycardia, it is important to follow up with a routine physical exam. Work with your doctor to find the right treatment and prevention method for your specific needs, and report any changes in your condition to your doctor immediately.
- Don't hesitate to call the emergency services (1-1-2) if you need help getting the situation under control. Immediate treatment can save lives.
