Paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia (PSVT)

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Paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia (PSVT) is a rapid heart rate, which occurs from time to time (paroxysmal). PSVT starts with events taking place above the ventricles.

PSVT; Supraventricular tachycardia

Normally, the chambers of the heart (atria and ventricles) contract in a coordinated manner. The contractions are caused by an electrical signal that begins in the sinoatrial node (also called the sinus node or SA node). The signal is conducted through the atria (the upper heart chambers) and stimulates the atria to contract.

Paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia (PSVT) can be initiated in the SA node; in the atria or the atrial conduction pathways; or in the AV node. It occurs most often in young people and infants.

Risks include smoking, caffeine,  alcohol use, and illicit drug use. PSVT can occur with digitalis toxicity. It can be a form of a re-entry tachycardia (an electrical current is caught in a reentrant loop, excessively stimulating the heart), as in the case of Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome.

Review Date: 05/31/2006
Reviewed By: Glenn Gandelman, MD, MPH, Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicine, New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.