Ventricular tachycardia, called V-tach, is a potentially dangerous heart arrhythmia.
It may cause dizziness orpalpitationsand even cardiac arrest and death if it lasts more than a few seconds.
Ventricular fibrillation, called VFib, is the most dangerous arrhythmia.
dusanpetkovic / Getty Images
VFib causes cardiac arrest within seconds and death within minutes if not treated.
These cells create electrical signals that start each heartbeat.
With ventricular arrhythmias, the electrical signals originate within the ventricles.
A fast, abnormal rhythm starts in the ventricles and may last a few seconds or longer.
Ventricles contract rapidly, but usually regularly.
V-tach can be life-threatening if it’s sustained (lasting more than 30 seconds).
A fast, abnormal rhythm starts in the ventricles and prevents blood from being pumped throughout the body.
Ventricle walls twitch or quiver uncontrollably and irregularly.
VFib is always life-threatening, causing sudden cardiac arrest.
If the V-tach persists and is not treated promptly, it can progress to VFib.
This leads to sudden cardiac arrest within seconds and, in severe cases, death.
Symptoms of sudden cardiac arrestinclude gasping for air or not breathing, sudden collapse, and loss of consciousness.
What Percentage of Deaths Are From SCD?
In the majority of witnessed cases, VFib is the final arrhythmia seen.
How Do V-Tach vs. VFib Cause Cardiac Arrest?
V-tach and VFib usually arise from an underlying structural heart condition, namelycoronary heart diseaseorheart failure.
Coronary Artery Disease
Thecoronary arteriessupply oxygen-rich blood to the heart.
The heart muscle weakens after one or more heart attacks, and scar tissue forms.
These factors can produce dangerous arrhythmias like V-tach and VFib.
What Is an AED?
V-tach is characterized by wide QRS complexes on the ECG.
The QRS complex represents the electrical signal traveling across the ventricles.
With VFib, there are chaotic waves with no discernible QRS complexes.
In that case, therapy directed toward that condition will be optimized.
Precise treatment steps depend on the person’s stability.
In this procedure, external electric shocks are applied to the heart to correct the rhythm.
Pulseless V-tach and ventricular fibrillation are two AED shockable rhythms.
They include:
Adopting healthy lifestyle habits may help prevent V-tach/VFib episodes in the first place.
Ventricular fibrillation is the most deadly arrhythmia.
Treatment of VFib and pulseless V-tach requires CPR and electrical defibrillation (“shocking” the heart).
American Heart Association.Ventricular fibrillation.
Kanagasundram AN, Richardson TD, Stevenson WG.The heart rate of ventricular tachycardia.Circulation.
2018;72(14):e91-e220.
doi:10.1016/j.jacc.2017.10.054
American Heart Association.Tachycardia: Fast heart rate.
Tang PT, Shenasa M, Boyle NG.Ventricular arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death.Card Electrophysiol Clin.
2017;9(4):693-708. doi:10.1016/j.ccep.2017.08.004
Srinivasan NT, Schilling RJ.Sudden cardiac death and arrhythmias.Arrhythm Electrophysiol Rev.
2018;7(2):111-117. doi:10.15420/aer.2018:15:2
Altay H.Ventricular tachycardia and heart failure.IntechOpen.
- doi:10.5772/intechopen.85256
Ventricular tachycardia.
In: Crawford MH, Aras M, Sanchez JM.Quick Dx & Rx: Cardiology.
McGraw Hill; 2018
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.About coronary artery disease (CAD).
Hajar R.Risk factors for coronary artery disease: Historical perspectives.Heart Views.
2020;10:1640. doi:10.3389/fphar.2019.01640
Callaway CW, Menegazzi JJ.Waveform analysis of ventricular fibrillation to predict defibrillation.Curr Opin Crit Care.
2005;11(3):192-9. doi:10.1097/01.ccx.0000161725.71211.42 Allowing this older citation, confirmed it at multiple sources.
Cedars Sinai.Ventricular tachycardia (VT).
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.Heart treatments.
Rippe JM.Lifestyle strategies for risk factor reduction, prevention, and treatment of cardiovascular disease.Am J Lifestyle Med.
2018;13(2):204-212. doi:10.1177/1559827618812395
