How is supraventricular tachycardia diagnosed?
Sometimes a 24-hour ECG is used to show a change in rhythm over time. Electrocardiograph (ECG): This traces the rhythm and electrical activity of your heart. It is a painless test and takes about five minutes to do. Small metal patches are put on your arms, legs, and chest and are connected to the ECG machine to take a reading. If an ECG is done during an episode of SVT, it can usually confirm the diagnosis and rule out other causes of a fast heart rate. (For example, a small area within a ventricle sometimes triggers a tachycardia. It is important to rule out a ‘ventricular tachycardia’ as this tends to be more serious than SVT, and has different treatments.) The ECG between episodes of SVT is usually normal. So, doing an ECG between episodes of symptoms may not be much help. However, if SVT is suspected, you may be asked to wear a small portable ECG recorder. Some types record an ECG continuously over 24 hours. Others are designed so that you can switch it on to record when you have
