Critical care nursing clinics of North America
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Crit Care Nurs Clin North Am · Sep 2016
ReviewParoxysmal Supraventricular Tachycardia: Pathophysiology, Diagnosis, and Management.
Paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia (PSVT) is a well-known and thoroughly studied clinical syndrome, characterized by regular tachycardia rhythm with sudden onset and abrupt termination. Most patients present with palpitations and dizziness, and their electrocardiogram demonstrates a narrow QRS complex and regular tachycardia with hidden or inverted P waves. ⋯ Hemodynamically stable patients are treated by vagal maneuvers, intravenous adenosine, diltiazem, or verapamil, hemodynamically unstable patients are treated by cardioversion. Patients with symptomatic and recurrent PSVT can be treated with long-term drug treatment or catheter ablation.