Hi all,

Does anyone know the difference between PAC's, PVC's and SVT's?

I was told I have SVT's but they are short.

thanks so much,

pb

Hi pb,
I have SVT, PAC's and PVC's. For me the skipped beat feeling is the PAC's or PVC's. When I have a run of SVT, it feels like my heart is pounding very fast for 10-20 seconds. I have short bursts of the SVT and usually if I cough hard it goes back to a regular pattern. I also take Tenormin, which has cut down alot on the SVT episodes. My doctor said SVT is very common, and benign. It scares the crap out of you though when it starts! Hope this helps, Connie

Hi, 'I also have these and more so when I lay down on either side, use to be just the right side but last night I went to bed and laid down on the left and it instantly did it, I instantly get flushed and feel the panic coming on. I then lay there and think ,is this what I have to look forward to the rest of one's life? Panic and fear! Hope it helps you to know that this happens to alot of women apparently and I am sure men also but we have a thinner thoratic cavity so i am sure it is intensified, the thump, the tachycardia, all of it we probably feel more. It s*cks cause it makes me feel even afraid to exercise. Hang in there

Thanks for the response! So, SVT's arent any more dangerous than PAC's and PVC's? This news of the the SVT just freaked me out. I am scheduled for an echo stress test on Monday and I am afraid I wll have an SVT during the test.....I wish this weren't so frightening and consuming my whole life. I do believe it's all perimenopausal as this all started in my 40's...

I had the stress echo done 2 weeks ago and then had a nuclear one this last Tuesday, I was exactly the way you are, I worried the most about having the palps during the treadmill. I did have a few but there is someone standing facing the ekg at all times watching. It really is a fairly easy test, I have been inactive for a year with a bum back so I had a hard time on the treadmill, I only lasted 4 minutes! You will be fine, I know it is more stress thinking about it than the actual test.

SVT is Supraventricular Tachycardia. It is benign, however; it's very scarey when it happens. It happens within the electrical part of the heart. When it happens, you want to get it back on track as soon as possible. You can do this by bearing down, drinking cold water, taking deep breaths, coughing, etc. If it lasts more then twenty minutes, I was told you should go to the hospital so they can give you something to slow the heart rate down. If someone has many long episodes of this, they can eithor go on a beta blocker or take it a step further and have a cardiac ablasion done. It's about a six hour study, they use catheters to stimulate the heart to see where in the electrical system it's malfunctioning. If they find it, they will zap it and that will be it. There shouldn't be any more episodes of SVT (Prime Minister Tony Blair had this done last year).

I've had all the tests done and the doctors still can't capture an episode of SVT. They tell me it sounds as though that's what I'm experiencing. I have done so much research on SVT. The good news is that it also means it's located at the top of the heart, and that is why it's benign. I know how scarey the episodes are, I truly feel for you. Certain things can also bring it on, such as caffeine, alcohol, and anxiety.

I'm sure your test will come out just fine, it has nothing to do with the heart muscle itself.

Hugs,
Karen