Supraventricular Tachycardia in Cats

Supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) is a medical condition that is characterized by a rapid heart rate that occurs during times of rest or low activity (i.e., at times other than exercise, illness, or stress). A heart rate that remains excessively high over the long-term (such as those seen with SVT) can lead to progressive myocardial (heart muscle) failure as well as congestive heart failure.

SVT may go unnoticed when it is periodic, but when there are repetitive supraventricular premature electrical heart depolarizations (changes in the heart's electrical potential) that originate from a site other than the sinus node (the pacemaker of the heart), such as in the atrial muscle or atrioventricular nodal tissue, the condition can become a serious health problem.

Symptoms and Types

• Slow SVT or infrequent attacks of SVT
  • No clinical signs
• Fast SVT (heart rate above 300 beats per minute)
  • Weakness
  • Fainting
• Congestive heart failure (CHF)
  • Coughing
  • Breathing abnormalities

Causes

There are several factors that may lead to SVT, including:

• Heart disease
• Digoxin toxicity
• Systemic disorders
• Electrolyte imbalances
• Abnormal automaticity in an ectopic focus (when the heart beats prematurely or outside the normal parameters)

Some cats even develop SVT due to a genetic predisposition or because of an unknown reason.

Diagnosis

Your veterinarian will perform a thorough physical exam on your cat, taking into account the background history of symptoms that you provide. Standard laboratory tests include a biochemical profile, a complete blood count, a urinalysis and an electrolyte panel to rule out systemic disease, cancer and electrolyte imbalances.

An electrocardiogram (EKG) recording can be used to examine the electrical currents in the heart muscles, and may reveal any abnormalities in cardiac electrical conduction (which underlies the heart’s ability to contract/beat). An EKG (with Doppler studies) can also enable your veterinarian to characterize the type and severity of any underlying heart disease, as well as assess myocardial function for cats suffering from primary SVT. 

Furthermore, long-term ambulatory (Holter) recording of the EKG may detect attacks of SVT in cases of unexplained fainting, while event (loop) recorders may detect paroxysmal (severe attacks) SVT in cats with infrequent episodes of syncope (fainting).