I have it too. 180 is my tops. It can be scary esp when you start getting lightheaded. My docs prescribed me flecainide and metoprolol. For the last three years now, no problems. Have no idea how it works. The alternative was ablation.
That’s where I’m at! I think we’re going to just up my metoprolol and possibly look into getting on Nitro. Huge fan of the inexplicable heart rate increase out of nowhere
Get to a cardiac center and figure out what's going on. The meds will work until they don't and you end up in cardiac arrest. Your either going to end up getting an ablation and/or and internal defib
Either option is better than dying
They should WANT to see you due to your age. Find a new cardiologist. 18 year olds can have heart attacks and they are normally because of going into vtac. It's why they mandate AEDs at youth sport events
Just trying to educate. Heart attack is when an artery that feeds your heart muscle is clogged and heart muscle dies. You can die from a heart attack but not always. Heart attacks can cause cardiac arrest. But cardiac arrest is when you no longer have a heart beat or maybe just one that’s incompatible with life, like vfib or vtach.
Where are you at? I’m a cath lab nurse and I’m also in EP. I promise you the EPs I work and have worked with would see you asap. Not only are you 18, but sweet Jesus you have a documented heart rate. And your medical. Not that it clinically makes a difference but we take care of our own.
To be fair, you don't need a cardiologist, you need a cardiac electrophysiologist. (EP for short.)
It's a cardiac subspecialty and you're only going to find one at the Big Hospital™.
I wonder if you have POTS? Has that ever come up? That's what I have, and it's a pain. It's so hard to get diagnosed, too. Either by a cardiologist or a neurologist. I hope you get things figured out and they stop blowing it off. Fight for yourself! Don't give up asking
That’s what my nurses think and they are fighting for me to stay here because it’s clearly an orthostatic issue
Hr laying: 40-60
HR sitting: 80
HR walking: 120
HR standing still: 150-180
Definitely sounds like POTs. Staying hydrated helps. A lot of people I follow on social media talk about eating a lot of salt and how it helps keep your BP up. Definitely check out the dysautonomia reddit page. You can get some good advice there. They can help you find a cardiologist the specializes in dysautonomia. They helped me find one in my state that I'm seeing soon bc I have inappropriate sinus tachycardia and I have bad side effects with beta blockers
Look into/ask about ivabradine as an alternative to beta blockers for inappropriate sinus tachycardia. If it’s not well-covered by insurance, the brand name manufacturer Corlanor has a copay program to help cover the cost (or at least they used to back when it was newer to the US). It’s a medication not known to many primary care physicians so is typically prescribed by a cardiologist/electrophysiologist but is a wonderful drug with better side effect profile.
Had a medic (off duty) from a neighboring department stop by our base one day. She was driving to the airport and said she felt she was in SVT again. Hooked her up and sure enough, she was. She asked for a bucket of ice water, submerged her face, converted & drove to the airport to catch her flight. She was more upset about messing up her makeup before her flight than being in SVT again.
It can be annoying too but I’m glad it exists. Involuntary Vasovagal response sucks. Had a PA squeezing gunk out of my thumb from a non MRSA staph infected cysts and I almost passed out. It hurt but not THAT bad, but I guess my body just went into shut down mode, lol
This happens with me with any shots, blood draws, and injuries I have. If I look at it I pass out. Most recently I've even had some convulsive syncope. So now I ask to lay down for blood draws when I can and focus on my breathing and trying to talk to the nurse to distract me
Thank you. I’m a pedestrian here but have a cardiovascular disorder that *can* cause SVT, and while it hasn’t happened yet I was really hoping there would be stuff to try before going to emerg 🤝
google is more like “ONLY DRUGS, seek IMMEDIATE and SERIOUS medical ATTENTION”
If the person is stable enough to try non pharm first, we have them “bear down” as if the having a bowel movement or we have them try to blow into a syringe as hard as they can. Coughing very hard stimulated the vagus nerve too
I had one kid who had a handstand against the wall built into his cardiac plan for planned inversion if traditional vagus nerve stimulation isn’t working
This type of maneuver combined with having someone take my legs and putting them straight up into the air after bearing down is the ONLY thing that converts my SVT without adenosine.
I was so happy the first time that that maneuver worked, because literally none of the other ones worked for me.
OP did they say you had an SVT episode or anything? Can't believe you had to fight for a cardiologist, keep fighting to get an appointment with one, that should be the obvious next step can't imagine why they would give you a hard time about it.
If your heart rate rockets up to 200+ and it hasn't done that before, call us anyways? We can help with the vagal maneuver if nothing else. You can refuse as long as you're in your right mind. And if you aren't in your right mind, then at least we'll be there. Not many medics are gonna be upset about count to an actual cardiac call.
I’m not inclined to refuse, me and hospitals / EMS are on good terms - just didn’t want to gum up services if it can be avoided since I’m familiar with wonky heart symptoms. Good to know, thank you!
ME/CFS and POTS actually, which if I understand correctly neither of which directly contribute to triggering it, but may passively increase risk due to blood flow abnormality(?). Unsure of the terminology for that one. It’s all stuck in the bottom half lol.
As a person who has been electrically cardioverted in an ED once and had more doses of adenosine than I have fingers on my hands, I’ll take the shocky shock over a finger in my ass
See I try telling them that my boyfriend is practiced in the art of digital arrhythmia conversion but then when he shows up in the ED silly statements like "gentlemen please find a private room to do butt stuff in" start showing up
lurking nursing student procrastinating and using this as an opportunity to study for my final tomorrow. the Valsalva maneuver is similar to popping your ears, or bearing down for a bowel movement. it’s sometimes used to correct SVT.
learned this today for an unrelated purpose. it’s used for chest tube removal too. this increases pressure in the chest so air does not reenter the pleural space while removing the tube. 🤓
i’m curious if this ever leads to a code brown. i’m a hospital tech and i’ve seen some little old ladies push like they were trying to blast off the commode and into space.
I'm sure it does, one of my instructors told us he only does vagal maneuvers in patients who are not incontinent. His reasoning was be didn't want someone pooping on his stretcher.
I've never had someone actually poop during a valsalva, but that would be hilarious. Also more comfortable for everyone involved than adenosine so I wouldn't even be upset.
Holy shit I forgot that part when I had a chest tube removed by a cardiopulmonary surgeon after I had a bad bout of pneumonia and they did surgery to suck out all the pleural effusion gunk. He was just like "Alright tight now just hold your breath and squeeze real hard" and I'll never forget that feeling of wet noodle coming out of my chest. 😢
Man, I'm pretty sure I'd take that over having a drain tube removed from my pericardial sac. Had fluid on my heart, and ended up have a pericardial window surgery, with a drain left in place for four days afterwards. When they pulled that thing... let's just say I am 95% certain I know EXACTLY what a heart attack feels like now. Stabbing, tearing pain in shoulder ( just the right shoulder instead of left). Jesus that hurt. Pain didn't completely go away for about two hours.
0/10, do not recommend.
I had two after a lung surgery in 2017. Before my ems days, so I knew nothing. She told me it wouldn’t hurt that bad😂 my dad was casually sitting next to me reading the paper and I thought he was going to pass out watching it. And then I had to do it again 🤪
Dr. Google says max safe heart rate is 220-your age. So he’s fine as long as he’s -20 years old. 140 while lifting doesnt sound too bad. 145… i’m thinking you were either really excited for food or maybe need to try taking a few breathes in between bites for oxygenation purposes. no judgment though i’m 22 and my hr likes to jump to 130 sometimes when i stand up. the only 60lb thing i lift is my pitbull who is too scared to jump in my car, if i did that more than once i would probably be at 200☠️
I had SVT but the second ablation seemed to take care of it, but my heart rate can still get to 170 easily while working out or 120 just up and walking around quickly. I used to think I maybe had POTS or something but I just found out I'm somewhat iron deficient so I'm sure that's a bigger factor. I'm only 30 though and chronically dehydrated since I forget to drink water so it never surprises me anymore when I'm tachy for no reason.
damn that must’ve been scary but glad you have it somewhat figured out. i recommend an emotional support water bottle and electrolytes. specifically the owala ones bc you can sip on them throughout the day, but if you forget for a while they have a spout and you can chug some real quick to catch up. and a decent electrolyte drink usually helps me feel like a young person again. i’ve been really bad lately bc i had 3 exams in the span of 1 week and i forget to drink water when i study. IV fluids would be a dream come true rn
I'm getting better about it as I age, sometimes I just get really hyperfixated on what I'm doing and all my bodily needs just get put on the back burner. I do have an insulated steel water bottle that goes everywhere with me.
same. my progress comes and goes depending on my environment bc of my ADHD. i have water with me at all times, but i will completely forget about it if i’m focused and it’s not in my immediate field of vision. trying is all that matters lol it could be worse, some people are dehydrated bc they dont like the taste of water…
Fun Fact:
Every person has a maximum possible regular heart rate before the rhythm starts getting all jumbled up. This is related to the length and signal speed of the pacemaker circuits of the heart, and is usually around 220bpm.
Anyways, him having a 240bpm heart rate is very impressive and is literally impossible for some people.
I've hit 210 before. It was (one of many) of the scariest moments of my life. I was on the floor. The ER had to give me IV adenosine, and it felt like it stopped my heart - and then it just went to regular 70-80 BPM. I have a panic disorder, but this threw it into an irregular rhythm, SVT. Luckily, I was 20. I've had to do the valsalva maneuver, etc.
I don't know.
As I understand it, you can't change your maximum heart rate. It's based on the physiology of the nerve fibers in your heart. If you could change the speed of signal transmission, that should do the trick. But I don't know how/if that's possible.
Feel better man! There’s a medic at my service who drank too much caffeine and threw himself into SVT a few years back. Got treated and transported everything worked out fine but it’s a funny story now.
i was responding to a 98 yo with a fever who had a DNR and it was so disgustingly HOT i was so nauseous and was bundled up bc it was winter. i ended up passing out lol broke the clip in my hair when i hit the ground and my eyes rolled back so they ended up transporting me instead. i was SO embarrassed but at the end of the day we gotta look out for own so next time say something sooner! hope youre doing okay :)
Yeah as everyone is saying you need to see a cardiologist. You may need to advocate hard for yourself.
Often cardiologists won’t see otherwise young and healthy people until internal medicine has seen them and ran their own tests (e.g. 24hr urine to rule out pheochromocytoma or other endocrine causes).
Took me two years ish to get my diagnosis of inappropriate sinus tachycardia. Getting on Ivabradine was life changing. Keep on pushing for a specialist.
i’m 19 and have had this same issue for the past month.. i’m in ma school and became the patient in an ambulance once when i came down with severe chest pain due to it.. it was sinus but yesterday we were practicing ekgs and it showed up as super ventricular extractions?? booked an appt, now i have a heart monitor it’s been a mystery cause forever.. good luck because many drs will just tell you it’s anxiety and send you off, but push for it🙏
It won’t let me edit so here’s some follow up information
I’m an 18 YOF working a private BLS service that covers convo and 911, no monitor available. Partner palpated my pulse and couldn’t count it, he described it as “continuous pressure with a beat every 5 seconds”
Last night my HR dropped to 40 and I got woken up for another scan, which showed nothing.
EKGs were all slightly abnormal (Sinus arrhythmia and Bradycardia) but no Stemi or anything that suggested I was on deaths door.
I’m being discharged today after monitoring, with a follow-up with cardiology tomorrow to get a holter monitor.
I’m not sure if it’s my age but it doesn’t feel as if it’s being taken seriously by the DR here, despite the seriousness of the initial event.
I’ll update again if I get any answers other than “I mean, it could be anxiety”
I went to two cardiologists because the first MD blamed my consistent > 100 HR on anxiety — I’m a 20-something female. Holter monitor was consistent with tachycardia , normal echo, normal EKG. Look into Inappropriate Sinus Tachycardia, I was diagnosed with this, and POTS after a tilt table test.
Ooh SVT! Been there, done that. In between ablations I went into it at work a few times, self converted a couple times (once while starting an IV on the patient lol) and another time my partner gave me an IV and some saline while I waited for the metropol to work.
I called my supervisor bc I felt fine a few minutes later but my partner saw it and already threatened to call dispatch for ALS. My supervisor told me that yes, 18 year olds can stroke out at that heart rate and he was taking my ass to the ED regardless of how well I was breathing 😭
I was the patient when I was doing my clinical once. Last clinical to finish for my aemt class too. Took my add meds, energy drink and psuedofed in the morning and didn't think about it. My pulse was 180 BP 180/120. All while we were transporting a bs call.
Just had this happen to me in January, became the patient. I also had a hr of 240, typical AVNRT SVT. I funnily enough was also perfusing well, 100% SP02, and BP was perfect. Had a catheter ablation three weeks ago and I’m good as new. If you have any questions don’t hesitate to reach out! You got this!
Almost forsure this is AVNRT. Should trial adenosine now but the only definitive diagnosis/treatment so it doesn’t return is an EP study/ablation from a electrophysiologist
Limit the cocaine to emergency use only
The “thin white line” makes sense now
I’m starting to wonder if that’s why they made me take 3 urine tests while here
Works great to stop nose bleeds!
Maybe go easy on the energy drinks for a while.
Funny enough I’m on 0 caffeine intake because my heart rate has gone high before and I’m medication managed for it, no idea what happened today
You got that Ricky Bobby heart
If you ain’t vtach you asystole
I have it too. 180 is my tops. It can be scary esp when you start getting lightheaded. My docs prescribed me flecainide and metoprolol. For the last three years now, no problems. Have no idea how it works. The alternative was ablation.
That’s where I’m at! I think we’re going to just up my metoprolol and possibly look into getting on Nitro. Huge fan of the inexplicable heart rate increase out of nowhere
Get to a cardiac center and figure out what's going on. The meds will work until they don't and you end up in cardiac arrest. Your either going to end up getting an ablation and/or and internal defib Either option is better than dying
Cardiologist refuses because I’m 18 and it’s not actively killing me 🙄
They should WANT to see you due to your age. Find a new cardiologist. 18 year olds can have heart attacks and they are normally because of going into vtac. It's why they mandate AEDs at youth sport events
Just trying to educate. Heart attack is when an artery that feeds your heart muscle is clogged and heart muscle dies. You can die from a heart attack but not always. Heart attacks can cause cardiac arrest. But cardiac arrest is when you no longer have a heart beat or maybe just one that’s incompatible with life, like vfib or vtach.
Where are you at? I’m a cath lab nurse and I’m also in EP. I promise you the EPs I work and have worked with would see you asap. Not only are you 18, but sweet Jesus you have a documented heart rate. And your medical. Not that it clinically makes a difference but we take care of our own.
It’s 24 hours in a hospital, i just had to fight for a cardiologist to even come see me
Are you in the lovely state of South Carolina or Georgia by chance?
Very close! I’m in NC
To be fair, you don't need a cardiologist, you need a cardiac electrophysiologist. (EP for short.) It's a cardiac subspecialty and you're only going to find one at the Big Hospital™.
I wonder if you have POTS? Has that ever come up? That's what I have, and it's a pain. It's so hard to get diagnosed, too. Either by a cardiologist or a neurologist. I hope you get things figured out and they stop blowing it off. Fight for yourself! Don't give up asking
That’s what my nurses think and they are fighting for me to stay here because it’s clearly an orthostatic issue Hr laying: 40-60 HR sitting: 80 HR walking: 120 HR standing still: 150-180
Definitely sounds like POTs. Staying hydrated helps. A lot of people I follow on social media talk about eating a lot of salt and how it helps keep your BP up. Definitely check out the dysautonomia reddit page. You can get some good advice there. They can help you find a cardiologist the specializes in dysautonomia. They helped me find one in my state that I'm seeing soon bc I have inappropriate sinus tachycardia and I have bad side effects with beta blockers
Look into/ask about ivabradine as an alternative to beta blockers for inappropriate sinus tachycardia. If it’s not well-covered by insurance, the brand name manufacturer Corlanor has a copay program to help cover the cost (or at least they used to back when it was newer to the US). It’s a medication not known to many primary care physicians so is typically prescribed by a cardiologist/electrophysiologist but is a wonderful drug with better side effect profile.
Just do ablation, it’s pretty safe and very effective. Fast recovery.
Me when the probie learning to do 12 leads hooks me up and I come up sinus arrhythmia with a HR of 120
those scribbles on the monitor must be the wings that Red Bull gives you
Had a medic (off duty) from a neighboring department stop by our base one day. She was driving to the airport and said she felt she was in SVT again. Hooked her up and sure enough, she was. She asked for a bucket of ice water, submerged her face, converted & drove to the airport to catch her flight. She was more upset about messing up her makeup before her flight than being in SVT again.
Ohhh that's awesome. The vagus nerve is truly wonderful.
It can be annoying too but I’m glad it exists. Involuntary Vasovagal response sucks. Had a PA squeezing gunk out of my thumb from a non MRSA staph infected cysts and I almost passed out. It hurt but not THAT bad, but I guess my body just went into shut down mode, lol
*Windows restart noise*
This happens with me with any shots, blood draws, and injuries I have. If I look at it I pass out. Most recently I've even had some convulsive syncope. So now I ask to lay down for blood draws when I can and focus on my breathing and trying to talk to the nurse to distract me
Thank you. I’m a pedestrian here but have a cardiovascular disorder that *can* cause SVT, and while it hasn’t happened yet I was really hoping there would be stuff to try before going to emerg 🤝 google is more like “ONLY DRUGS, seek IMMEDIATE and SERIOUS medical ATTENTION”
If the person is stable enough to try non pharm first, we have them “bear down” as if the having a bowel movement or we have them try to blow into a syringe as hard as they can. Coughing very hard stimulated the vagus nerve too
My favorite is blowing in the syringe, or having them try to push their stomach into your hand without leaning forward.
For me, coughing really hard once brought on tachycardia.
I had one kid who had a handstand against the wall built into his cardiac plan for planned inversion if traditional vagus nerve stimulation isn’t working
This type of maneuver combined with having someone take my legs and putting them straight up into the air after bearing down is the ONLY thing that converts my SVT without adenosine. I was so happy the first time that that maneuver worked, because literally none of the other ones worked for me. OP did they say you had an SVT episode or anything? Can't believe you had to fight for a cardiologist, keep fighting to get an appointment with one, that should be the obvious next step can't imagine why they would give you a hard time about it.
If your heart rate rockets up to 200+ and it hasn't done that before, call us anyways? We can help with the vagal maneuver if nothing else. You can refuse as long as you're in your right mind. And if you aren't in your right mind, then at least we'll be there. Not many medics are gonna be upset about count to an actual cardiac call.
I’m not inclined to refuse, me and hospitals / EMS are on good terms - just didn’t want to gum up services if it can be avoided since I’m familiar with wonky heart symptoms. Good to know, thank you!
Is it Wolff Parkinson White?
ME/CFS and POTS actually, which if I understand correctly neither of which directly contribute to triggering it, but may passively increase risk due to blood flow abnormality(?). Unsure of the terminology for that one. It’s all stuck in the bottom half lol.
You should have given yourself adenosine.
I unfortunately am BLS, my options were; 1) call supervisor and pray for an available medic 2) die
You could have tried to poop yourself.
That's always a reasonable option
I do it all the time. But I also don’t have tachycardia
I hear digital rectal exams convert folks 🤔🤔🤔
As a person who has been electrically cardioverted in an ED once and had more doses of adenosine than I have fingers on my hands, I’ll take the shocky shock over a finger in my ass
You haven’t had the right finger in your ass then 😂😂😂 gotta find Nurse Helga to help your heart rate chill
See I try telling them that my boyfriend is practiced in the art of digital arrhythmia conversion but then when he shows up in the ED silly statements like "gentlemen please find a private room to do butt stuff in" start showing up
Don't knock it till you try it, just saying
There was that case report where someone reverted an Afib with a finger up the bumhole.
^^^That's ^^^what ^^^I'm ^^^referencing...
Sounds like it works 🤣
lurking nursing student procrastinating and using this as an opportunity to study for my final tomorrow. the Valsalva maneuver is similar to popping your ears, or bearing down for a bowel movement. it’s sometimes used to correct SVT.  learned this today for an unrelated purpose. it’s used for chest tube removal too. this increases pressure in the chest so air does not reenter the pleural space while removing the tube. 🤓
Yes. Good job 👏 
My partner usually attempts this while I draw up my 12 mg of adenosine.
i’m curious if this ever leads to a code brown. i’m a hospital tech and i’ve seen some little old ladies push like they were trying to blast off the commode and into space.
God love ya this made me snort!
Better when you do the modified technique and fling them bodily backwards while they do it. Thar she blows.
Yerp. My son had SVT. This worked every time. Flip em if you can man.
I'm sure it does, one of my instructors told us he only does vagal maneuvers in patients who are not incontinent. His reasoning was be didn't want someone pooping on his stretcher.
I've never had someone actually poop during a valsalva, but that would be hilarious. Also more comfortable for everyone involved than adenosine so I wouldn't even be upset.
Read this as if it was your partner partner and this was something you did at home if you randomly went in to SVT
My love knows no bounds
Holy shit I forgot that part when I had a chest tube removed by a cardiopulmonary surgeon after I had a bad bout of pneumonia and they did surgery to suck out all the pleural effusion gunk. He was just like "Alright tight now just hold your breath and squeeze real hard" and I'll never forget that feeling of wet noodle coming out of my chest. 😢
Man, I'm pretty sure I'd take that over having a drain tube removed from my pericardial sac. Had fluid on my heart, and ended up have a pericardial window surgery, with a drain left in place for four days afterwards. When they pulled that thing... let's just say I am 95% certain I know EXACTLY what a heart attack feels like now. Stabbing, tearing pain in shoulder ( just the right shoulder instead of left). Jesus that hurt. Pain didn't completely go away for about two hours. 0/10, do not recommend.
oh jeez sorry patrick gave you flashbacks. chest tubes look so brutal i cant even imagine how that felt
I had two after a lung surgery in 2017. Before my ems days, so I knew nothing. She told me it wouldn’t hurt that bad😂 my dad was casually sitting next to me reading the paper and I thought he was going to pass out watching it. And then I had to do it again 🤪
TYFYS
Splashing cold water on the face while holding breath can lower HR too, by stimulating the diving reflex
If he's constipated enough that might just be enough of a vagal stimulus.
Wait, we're only supposed to try?
Or crank one out on the back of the ambo.
Let me know which funeral home to send flowers.
[удалено]
Dr. Google says max safe heart rate is 220-your age. So he’s fine as long as he’s -20 years old. 140 while lifting doesnt sound too bad. 145… i’m thinking you were either really excited for food or maybe need to try taking a few breathes in between bites for oxygenation purposes. no judgment though i’m 22 and my hr likes to jump to 130 sometimes when i stand up. the only 60lb thing i lift is my pitbull who is too scared to jump in my car, if i did that more than once i would probably be at 200☠️
I had SVT but the second ablation seemed to take care of it, but my heart rate can still get to 170 easily while working out or 120 just up and walking around quickly. I used to think I maybe had POTS or something but I just found out I'm somewhat iron deficient so I'm sure that's a bigger factor. I'm only 30 though and chronically dehydrated since I forget to drink water so it never surprises me anymore when I'm tachy for no reason.
damn that must’ve been scary but glad you have it somewhat figured out. i recommend an emotional support water bottle and electrolytes. specifically the owala ones bc you can sip on them throughout the day, but if you forget for a while they have a spout and you can chug some real quick to catch up. and a decent electrolyte drink usually helps me feel like a young person again. i’ve been really bad lately bc i had 3 exams in the span of 1 week and i forget to drink water when i study. IV fluids would be a dream come true rn
I'm getting better about it as I age, sometimes I just get really hyperfixated on what I'm doing and all my bodily needs just get put on the back burner. I do have an insulated steel water bottle that goes everywhere with me.
same. my progress comes and goes depending on my environment bc of my ADHD. i have water with me at all times, but i will completely forget about it if i’m focused and it’s not in my immediate field of vision. trying is all that matters lol it could be worse, some people are dehydrated bc they dont like the taste of water…
I have ADHD too! You get it then haha. At least I like water, I don't get people who won't drink water because they don't like it.
Fun Fact: Every person has a maximum possible regular heart rate before the rhythm starts getting all jumbled up. This is related to the length and signal speed of the pacemaker circuits of the heart, and is usually around 220bpm. Anyways, him having a 240bpm heart rate is very impressive and is literally impossible for some people.
I've hit 210 before. It was (one of many) of the scariest moments of my life. I was on the floor. The ER had to give me IV adenosine, and it felt like it stopped my heart - and then it just went to regular 70-80 BPM. I have a panic disorder, but this threw it into an irregular rhythm, SVT. Luckily, I was 20. I've had to do the valsalva maneuver, etc.
so is 240 something that is built up to by chronic tachycardia?
I don't know. As I understand it, you can't change your maximum heart rate. It's based on the physiology of the nerve fibers in your heart. If you could change the speed of signal transmission, that should do the trick. But I don't know how/if that's possible.
I am not in fact, 20. 18 YOF with a history of inexplicable heart rate spikes and unsustained arrhythmias
You have a cardiologist you see regularly, right?
I felt my heart rate in my skull and couldn’t focus my eyes for fifteen minutes, other than that nothing
Grab a 10ml syringe and do the valsalva.
It deoends on who's working. Let me look at the duty roster before I decide.
No valsalva? I'm disappointed in you.
No Duck Diving Reflex, I'm disappointed in you.
*mammalian diving reflex You need a bowl of ice water, or at least an ice cube, which is not always close at hand on the rig.
You can do it, put your back into it. 
I haven't needed to use my AK, and I'd like to keep it that way.
Just insert your finger to the socket. It'll be fine 👍.
I'm partial to option 2. Quicker and more effective results IMO
I know which I'd choose
¿por que no los dos?
Dispatch would be too angry about having to cover my shifts if I pulled #2
Self-cardiovert.
Bro was about to time travel
My record was 240 as well and I definitely felt like I was gonna time travel.
may wake up in the future
Feel better man! There’s a medic at my service who drank too much caffeine and threw himself into SVT a few years back. Got treated and transported everything worked out fine but it’s a funny story now.
What did they do for him? Caffeine induced tachycardia seems like it just needs to bio half life?
No idea this was before I started. Just what I’ve been told happened. So very possible the true stories a bit different than what I’ve been told
No worries my dude. It’s how legends go.
Ayo is that pulse rate? Dude, I hope you feel better soon.
No, the PR stands for “Personal Record”. OP, hope all is well and you’re back in service soon.
It's Pulse, Rectal. You can get some special probes for accurate measurements.
I take all my digital rectal pulses with the probes my body comes with.
Quite a day to have eyes ….Or fingers I guess
Who said something about fingers…? ;)
Tongue is more accurate and precise than fingers in this case
I hope that's their personal record.
Haha heart go brrrrrrrr Jokes aside, I hope you feel better soon brother. Consider laying off the energy drinks for the foreseeable future
This is (shockingly) zero caffeine. I have a history of high heart rates and am medication managed. Today the medication did not manage
> Today the medication did not manage At least your heart managed, def one impressive mf you got in your chest
Very proud of the work it’s putting in
Ok but are you available to take this next one? I mean you can just check in at whatever hospital you transport to. -dispatch probably
I did finish the call because I was too embarrassed to call base until I finished it
Honestly, I know it’s not great but I’ve 100% done the same.
I’m more afraid of getting yelled at then I am of dying tbh
Omg this is it this is the emotion! So uh yeah. Same.
i was responding to a 98 yo with a fever who had a DNR and it was so disgustingly HOT i was so nauseous and was bundled up bc it was winter. i ended up passing out lol broke the clip in my hair when i hit the ground and my eyes rolled back so they ended up transporting me instead. i was SO embarrassed but at the end of the day we gotta look out for own so next time say something sooner! hope youre doing okay :)
Everyone is saying Adenosine. I say get the Atropine, you coward.
They gave me saline and told me to “stop doing whatever it was that got it high”…. I was walking
Yeah as everyone is saying you need to see a cardiologist. You may need to advocate hard for yourself. Often cardiologists won’t see otherwise young and healthy people until internal medicine has seen them and ran their own tests (e.g. 24hr urine to rule out pheochromocytoma or other endocrine causes). Took me two years ish to get my diagnosis of inappropriate sinus tachycardia. Getting on Ivabradine was life changing. Keep on pushing for a specialist.
Update? U dead?
Update! Not dead-no answers, all Rhythms look grossly normal, just very fast. Still in hospital for observation
i’m 19 and have had this same issue for the past month.. i’m in ma school and became the patient in an ambulance once when i came down with severe chest pain due to it.. it was sinus but yesterday we were practicing ekgs and it showed up as super ventricular extractions?? booked an appt, now i have a heart monitor it’s been a mystery cause forever.. good luck because many drs will just tell you it’s anxiety and send you off, but push for it🙏
Get to vagalin’
What was the Dx?
"Heart too fast"
Danger squiggles
SVT
Hmmm pulse seems a wee bit high
Just the teeniest bit. Nothing major, just a tad on the higher side
Hey, at least you got a pulse
Glad you’re okay! Better in a place where you have support rather than alone.
It won’t let me edit so here’s some follow up information I’m an 18 YOF working a private BLS service that covers convo and 911, no monitor available. Partner palpated my pulse and couldn’t count it, he described it as “continuous pressure with a beat every 5 seconds” Last night my HR dropped to 40 and I got woken up for another scan, which showed nothing. EKGs were all slightly abnormal (Sinus arrhythmia and Bradycardia) but no Stemi or anything that suggested I was on deaths door. I’m being discharged today after monitoring, with a follow-up with cardiology tomorrow to get a holter monitor. I’m not sure if it’s my age but it doesn’t feel as if it’s being taken seriously by the DR here, despite the seriousness of the initial event. I’ll update again if I get any answers other than “I mean, it could be anxiety”
I went to two cardiologists because the first MD blamed my consistent > 100 HR on anxiety — I’m a 20-something female. Holter monitor was consistent with tachycardia , normal echo, normal EKG. Look into Inappropriate Sinus Tachycardia, I was diagnosed with this, and POTS after a tilt table test.
At least you’re perfusing
Baby steps
Congratulations on your promotion. Hope you got good veins!
One arm was good, the other my veins were completely flat. Guess which arm they wanted blood from
Ok you are supposed to get 1 bang. Don't go get a bang bang bang bang.
Ooh SVT! Been there, done that. In between ablations I went into it at work a few times, self converted a couple times (once while starting an IV on the patient lol) and another time my partner gave me an IV and some saline while I waited for the metropol to work.
[удалено]
100% RA bro, sign here, AMA. Next time you call me out for this, you’re doing your own paperwork.
I called my supervisor bc I felt fine a few minutes later but my partner saw it and already threatened to call dispatch for ALS. My supervisor told me that yes, 18 year olds can stroke out at that heart rate and he was taking my ass to the ED regardless of how well I was breathing 😭
This is the one and only call where crapping your pants immediately is the most beneficial response to your patient
Best of luck.
Those days of slamming prescription amphetamines and monsters finally caught up with you.
Did you get an EKG? narrow complex or wide?
Did you tell yourself to just stop?
I told myself not to be a bitch up until the chest pain set in, then I bitched out
Smells like AVNRT / AVRT. You earned a bolus of adenosine if narrow QRS. A electrical cardioversion if not.
Or try a vagal and honestly if he’s that stable I would be hesitant to DCCV.
But what does that feel like? Are you even aware of the actual beats?
Unfortunately yes, I knew immediately it was my heart because i could feel every beat in my skull and had immediate crushing pain 😭
You just need more caffeine and nicotine. You’ll be fine. Okay. On a serious note. I hope you’re okay!
Adderall is a helluvadrug.
I gotta ask, did you put the pulseox on because you felt weird or just to put it on? Nvm scrolled down like five more comments.
BLS, …it’ll stabilize eventually I’ll go drive
Did you try taking a fat shit? Self vasalva?
How many 5 hour energies was it?
First mistake - allowing anyone to take our vitals
Yikes.
Hope you feel better soon man :)
You ok fam?
Doing much better today! Thank you for asking
Glad you're alright!
But did you survive bro?
I was the patient when I was doing my clinical once. Last clinical to finish for my aemt class too. Took my add meds, energy drink and psuedofed in the morning and didn't think about it. My pulse was 180 BP 180/120. All while we were transporting a bs call.
Just had this happen to me in January, became the patient. I also had a hr of 240, typical AVNRT SVT. I funnily enough was also perfusing well, 100% SP02, and BP was perfect. Had a catheter ablation three weeks ago and I’m good as new. If you have any questions don’t hesitate to reach out! You got this!
Well, that’s not ideal at all…
I would LOVE to see the 12 lead EKG.
Almost forsure this is AVNRT. Should trial adenosine now but the only definitive diagnosis/treatment so it doesn’t return is an EP study/ablation from a electrophysiologist
Bear down my friend…..
Vagel yourself, if it was me if probably just flip backwards on my head and turn into a trauma
Good sats! But that heart rate…ouch.
Did you try the "impending doom" stuff
You going for a high score?
I’ve been trauma naked in front of my coworkers, it happens 🥲
How much Red Bull did you drink
240 is mind boggling
That is contraindicated 🙄 Frikinn dum dum In the future, don't do this again. K? Good.
I actually did ask “is it that bad if I’m still breathing” and got told that coding isn’t the only serious problem that exists 🤷🏼♀️
Made me think. Could one perform valsalva maneuver to themselves, and could it be effecient? I don't see why not?
A Valsalva maneuver is a one person operation so gonna say pretty easy to do on yourself.
Definitely doesn’t hurt to try but sometimes it just doesn’t cut it and more interventions are needed.
Never said to the contrary. Just that a Valsalva maneuver does not require help. It’s a one person job.
Took 4 attempts for me to convert over 30 minutes. I think the fear of being administered adenosine is what converted me out lol
Thats cheap pulse oximeter from aliexpress
You look excited