Showing posts with label Electrocardiogram. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Electrocardiogram. Show all posts

Sunday, June 3, 2012

Supraventricular Tachycardia Diagnosis (SVT, PSVT)

     A health care professional will ask questions about the patient's symptoms, medical and surgical history, lifestyle, and medications. The physical examination will focus on the heart and other organs, such as the lungs, that might explain the reason for the symptoms.
     Other tests are likely to be done to confirm the diagnosis of PSVT and to assist the health care professional in tailoring the most appropriate treatment. Most commonly, an electrocardiogram (ECG) is done and testing includes the following:
  • Electrocardiogram (ECG): The ECG is a painless, quick, noninvasive test that detects the electrical activity of the heart. Through 12 electrodes, or leads, attached to the chest, arms, and legs, tracings or waves are detected and represent the electrical activity of the heart from 12 different views. This allows detection of a number of different kinds of problems in the heart. The ECG can help identify many different arrhythmias including PSVT and in some cases its underlying cause. However, further tests or even therapy may depend on the findings of the ECG. Picture of an ECG from a patient with PSVT ECG from a patient with PSVT