Sustained Ventricular Tachycardia: A Review of Treatment and Prognosis

Abstract

Sustained ventricular tachycardia is a ventricular rhythm greater than 100 bpm usually lasting more than 30 seconds. It manifests with a broad QRS tachyarrhythmia which has a similar QRS configuration. This happens from one beat to another, showing a similar chain of ventricular depolarization for every beat. Ventricular tachyarrhythmia has its origin from a stable focus. However, in conditions like structural cardiac disease, the substrate is the place that has patchy replacement fibrosis because of infarction which may originate functional reentry or anatomical pathways. Symptoms of VT rely on the underlying heart function, and rate of arrhythmia. The prognosis depends on the existing heart disease and the first treatment always follows advanced cardiac life support.