Ventricular Tachycardia (VT)

VT is an arrhythmia involving the lower chambers of the heart. It is a dangerous arrhythmia because it may cause sudden death or fainting due to low blood pressure.

Causes of VT Heart attack Viral myocarditis Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy Dilated cardiomyopathy Complex congenital heart disease Congenital long QT syndrome Brugada Syndrome Electrolyte abnormalities eg potassium, magnesium, calcium Adrenal gland tumours

VT may also occur in structurally normal hearts – this is called idiopathic VT.

An ECG showing VT is shown below

Treatment of VT

Drugs Electrical cardioversion Catheter ablation Defibrillator implantation