Supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) - considering surgery

Just got diagnosed with Supraventricular tachycardia and am considering surgery. I can live with it if I decide to, but some episodes have happened at some pretty inconvenient times in the mountains and, if I don't stop whatever I'm doing to slow it down, it'll just continue. I'm a bit scared about one happening when I'm unable to take a break. Wondering if others have this condition, how you function with it outside, and if you got surgery. Thanks!

Hey Sarah, have you noticed any patterns related to what triggers an episode? I’ve suspected that I have a similar condition for a while. The only pattern I’ve noticed is that a few episodes have been preceded by a forceful, half breath, inhale. It seems to trigger a fast, overly-forceful heartbeat that won’t slow down without me sitting for a few minutes. It only happens around 2-3 times a year for me, so it’s difficult to pin down

I have a friend who has had 3 surgeries. He now can run 15 miles (with 5k elevation in 6 miles @ 6k elevation to 11.5k, climb and surf as he pleases. Will it ever be okay? Probably not. But with the right objectives, and attention to detail, you can definitely continue and crush what you want. Be safe!

Ive had this and did the catheter ablasion. Feel free to contact me if youd like to discuss.

My mom had this procedure a few years ago. The amount of tech available now is absolutely insane… the fact that you can have a procedure with only a catheter entering your body is incredible, and if i remember correctly the recovery time was pretty quick (especially if you are healthy). i would recommend it so you don’t have to worry about having an episode and you can get back to fully enjoying those mountains!

Get an ablation, usually it’s only one night in the hospital and I’ve even see people go home same day. Very easy recovery and you’ll feel much better! As said before, the tech is amazing, just a small hole in either your wrist or groin. 

I had SVT for years without knowing it. But gradually it became worse, finally culminating when I was 76 and hospitalized after not being able to get it down, even though I felt fine.  I had an ablation - an interesting procedure in which the patient plays a conscious part. That seemed to do the trick.

However, a few weeks later I noticed what seemed to be a recurrence, and was told by a cardiologist I needed to have it done again. Instead, I went to a cardio electrophysiologist and again was diagnosed by his PA with SVT. Then the doctor examined me and told me I had pre-afib, instead. He put me on a mild dose of Flecainide and the condition gradually disappeared over a couple of years. I've had no problems since, and drink as much coffee as I wish at 86. I exercise vigorously every three days.

What might have happened was that my heart was sensitized by the ablation and took quite a while to eventually calm down.

Any more ablation stories/outcomes?  Asking for a "friend" who is scheduled for one on 3/30 for A-Fib.  Hoping for a return to full activity and full coffee.

Here's my story.

I am 48yo and had SVT in my late teens. So keep in mind anything I tell you is 30 year old information. 

For those that don't know SVT is like a double heartbeat - a beat on top of a beat - for me it was due to a weak area of muscle tissue that caused a "short circuit/extra beat". It first happened one night while I was asleep - I woke up to my heart going at 190bpm. I went to the ER thinking I was having a heart attack and they injected me with a drug to temporarily STOP my heart to break the cycle. That is a weird feeling - my heart stopped and a few seconds passed and right before I passed out I could feel all the blood in my body start moving again. 

I had a few more episodes but the last was as I was about to board an airplane in Canada and had to go to the ER again. 

I had the ablasion done - I was probably 20yo and it went perfectly. I don't know how they do it these days but here's how mine went: They put me under, inserted the cath and laser etc into my thigh, triggered the svt, mapped out the electrical activity to identify the short circuit and then ablated the area to fix it. I spent one night in the hospital and was home the next day. I've never had SVT again.

The biggest side affect of the surgery? To stop the SVT while I was under they couldn't use the drug they normally use so they had to stop it by using those paddles on my chest - the ones they use to bring people back to life. This caused some skin burns on my chest which required the use of burn cream for a few days. It was mostly just uncomfortable.

Some people I was told can stop SVT by doing things like laying on the floor with your legs up on the wall and doing mini crunches. There are other techniques too but I could never control my SVT on my own.

Hope this helps - if you can do the surgery I would highly recommend it

Matt

Noah Betz wrote:

The only pattern I’ve noticed is that a few episodes have been preceded by a forceful, half breath, inhale.

I have PVC and am also under impression that regular breathing helps to prevent its occurrence.

This is my experience with heart arrhythmia. I don't have SVT, but I have a PVC arrhythmia. Instead of a double beat, its more like your heart beating backwards - bottom to top. 

My GP noticed that my HR was super low, like in the low 40's low, and sent me to a cardiologist. After some testing, they told me that I had a high burden of PVCs and I could get an ablation but would most likely be fine as I was healthy, early 30's and wasn't having any symptoms.  Fast forward a year later and I went into ventricular tachycardia/ventricular fibrillation while I was asleep due to the high number of PVCs I was having. The way they explained it to me later was that my HR got so low while I was asleep due to the PVCs that it went into v tach/vf to try to restart itself. (Essentially they don't really know why, this is just their best guess) The v tach escalated and I experienced a sudden cardiac arrest. The only reason I'm still here is because my husband woke up to me struggling to breathe in my sleep and gave me CPR and called 911.

I spent a week and a half in the ICU, I had a pacemaker/ICD installed and have had 2 ablations to try to limit the number of PVCs I have. The first ablation actually didn't work and I had to have a second one due to the difficult location they needed to ablate. I still have some PVCs but much fewer than I had previously. I am also on a beta blocker and use an anti arrhythmic when I feel the PVCs more than normal. The actual ablation procedures were pretty easy though - similar to the way Matt described above. One night in the hospital for monitoring and I was able to go home.

Its been almost 2 years and I have been able to get back to climbing, although I don't think that I am back to where I was before yet. I have some extra protection now with the ICD, if I go into v tach again, it will shock me out of it. I haven't been shocked yet, but I do worry that it could happen in high consequence terrain or potentially when I'm sleeping in the wilderness with no service. It's very likely that you could pass out if you get shocked so I have had to reevaluate my risk tolerance.

I definitely wish that I had had the ablation when they first caught it, although I guess there are people who have a similar diagnosis and never have a problem. If you can get the surgery, I would do it.

Kelsey Blodgett wrote:

I definitely wish that I had had the ablation when they first caught it, although I guess there are people who have a similar diagnosis and never have a problem. If you can get the surgery, I would do it.

This!
Also, for the geniuses who think they can control their breathing while sleeping, strongly recommend reading Kelsey's post.

I don’t wish anyone to have these conditions but it sure is nice to read about other people going through the same things (including some climbing  legends who have posted here…)

I have had AFib since I was a teenager which occasionally resulted in tachycardia, with my heart just randomly blowing up into the 200bpm+ range for seemingly no reason. Three episodes resulted in hospitalization and defibrillation to kick it back to a normal beat, but sometimes I could control it by holding a deep breath or dropping to the floor and doing sharp push ups.

My cardiologist told me science has just not caught up to the issue yet to explain causes and effective prevention. I had a catheter ablation in 2015 and didn’t have another episode until 2019 which sent me to the ER for another defibrillation. Since then I have cut caffeine completely and have not had another episode. I am considering another ablation as a preventative measure though, I know lots of people with these conditions need to have the procedure more than once. 

Hi Sarah, I have it and I'm an avid climber. I find the combination of nervousness (anxiousness) along with exertion bring it on. I hate that first climb of the day when I tend to feel both at the same time. Once I've settled down a bit, it seems to not be as big an issue and I also manage it through breathing and learning to rest as I climb - it has actually made me a better climber. However, I got rid of a lot of my SVT over a year ago by doing one thing - I quit drinking. Yep, none, zero, no more. Now my end of the crag-day beer is non-alcoholic. I'm now climbing a full grade harder, feel way better every day and have gotten rid of about 99% of my SVT when I'm NOT in active mode. Used to get it anytime, but now if I'm not in active mode I almost never get it. I also keep a couple of the pills my doc gave me with me at all times, but have never had to reach of them. I'm 56. Good luck!

Kelsey Blodgett wrote:

The v tach escalated and I experienced a sudden cardiac arrest. The only reason I'm still here is because my husband woke up to me struggling to breathe in my sleep and gave me CPR and called 911.

Damn! He sounds like a keeper.

Mello Onsight wrote:

I find the combination of nervousness (anxiousness) along with exertion bring it on.

My PVC starts in Zone 3.
As a result I limit my exercises to Zone 1 and Zone 2.

Fern Gully wrote:

 Since then I have cut caffeine completely and have not had another episode.

I am not sure whether due to more hours of cardio or due to complete elimination of coffee and tea (because of a different reason), but my PVC occurrences significantly decreased in the last few years.  I attributed this improvement to more cardio, but just realized that it may be due to decrease of caffeine consumption.

Eliminating caffeine has helped me a great deal with A-fib — though I still have episodes.  Have also sharply reduced alcohol intake but it is hard to know if that has helped considering the caffeine variable and new medications.

Colonel Mustard wrote:

Damn! He sounds like a keeper.

He sure is! It was quite the first year of marriage....
I'll also say that this experience effected him a lot more than me. Since I wasn't conscious during the worst of it, I don't remember anything. He experienced everything, including not being able to be in the hospital with me because of covid and has a lot of anxiety around my health now. He's definitely worked through a lot of it, but it was pretty difficult for the first year.

I only had A fib but had an ablation 8 or 9 years ago - in and out same day - zero complications except a sore groin for about a week.  No further problems at all but I do watch caffeine intake and try to stay hydrated - seemingly what were my triggers.  Ablations have come a very long way the last few years - people I have talked to recently all have had very good results.  I don't know anything about it for other electrical heart issues though.

Back in the early 90's when I had my issues Ephedrine/Ephedra (sp?) were legal over the counter and when we would drink we would take that crap (I was like 19yo) and it would give us an instant buzz and make our hair tingle. I always wondering if that crap caused my SVT...

There's now doubt cutting caffeine will help tremendously - I also now drink decaf and maybe have 1 soda every other day but that's it.

Had my ablation for afib about 45 days ago.  Slowly returning to climbing and biking.  Doc says that my implanted monitor shows no afib since the procedure, so that’s good news.  She said that I can go back to one morning cup of coffee but that alcohol is such an effective trigger that I really should give it up.  So far, so good.