Medications

If you have symptoms, medicines may be used to treat supraventricular tachycardia.

Medication Choices

For severe symptoms, such as chest pain, shortness of breath, or feeling faint, you may be given fast-acting antiarrhythmic medicines by health professionals in the hospital emergency department, where your heart can be monitored. Fast-acting antiarrhythmic medicines commonly used to slow the heart rate during an episode include:

• Adenosine.
• Calcium channel blockers.
• Beta-blockers.

Long-term use of an antiarrhythmic medicine may also be needed to reduce the chance of having more episodes of supraventricular tachycardia or to reduce the heart rate during these episodes. Common medicines used for this purpose include:

• Beta-blockers.
• Calcium channel blockers.
• Digoxin.
• Other antiarrhythmic medicines.

Surgery

Open-heart surgery is rarely done for supraventricular tachycardia. Surgery might be done if you cannot have catheter ablation or if you are having surgery for another heart condition.