Cardiologists at Paras Hospitals, Gurgaon were able to successfully treat and cure the heart rhythm problem of a 70-year-old woman, a resident of neighborhood village with state of the art Electrophysiology study (EPS) and medical expertise. The EPS study was able to highlight the reason for the cardiac episodes and showcased Atrioventricular Nodal Reentry Tachycardia (AVNRT) as the root cause of the same. Dr. D K Jhamb, Director and HOD Cardiology at Paras Hospitals, Gurgaon was able to diagnose AVNRT as the cardiac issue and stabilize the patient with the correct medical expertise. Dr. Narendra Kumar, Consultant Cardiologist, and Electrophysiologist at Paras Hospitals were able to treat it radiofrequency catheter ablation.
Mrs. Anjali (name changed) reported to the hospital emergency wing with complaints of breathlessness, chest tightness, and discomfort. She was earlier diagnosed with the non-critical cardiovascular disease and was on medication to manage the same. However, her present condition had a very high heart rate. According to Dr. Jhamb, “When patients above the age of 70 yrs come to the hospital with a cardiac issue, it is important for us to do the root cause analysis. In this case, the patient did have a history of the cardiac disease but we wanted to know the reason causing the same.”
Hence, after acute stabilization, Dr. Narendra Kumar, Consultant Cardiac Electrophysiologist at Paras Hospitals did an electrophysiology study to understand the heartbeat rhythm and monitor the same for more than 24 hrs. This type of highly specialized study pointed towards the part of the heart causing the malfunctioning and confirmed the diagnosis atrioventricular Nodal Reentry Tachycardia (AVNRT), one of the most frequently occurring form of regular tachycardia. This type of tachycardia is more common in females than males in the ration of almost 3:1. The typical signs and symptoms are episodes of fast heart rates. In numerous cases, neck vein palpitations are also prominent which is also defined as a Frog Sign.”
Dr. Kumar elaborates, “An ECG may only showcase the electrical activity of the heart for a few seconds. The Holter monitoring helps to a great extent to record the ECG reports for 24 hours and helps us to understand the working of the patient’s heart. However, the EPS study allows your doctor to see the precise location of the irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia). And the ablation procedure treats the arrhythmia for life”
Based on the condition of the patient, the cardiologist can suggest numerous ways to treat and manage Atrioventricular Nodal Reentry Tachycardia (AVNRT).The following are few of the standard recommendation:
- Vagal maneuvers: One may stop an episode of AVNRT by using particular maneuvers that includes holding the breath and straining, immersing your face in ice water, or coughing.
- Cardioversion: If one is unable to stop an episode using vagal maneuvers, the doctor may use cardioversion, which can be conducted as a procedure or by using medications.
- Medications: If you experience frequent episodes of AVNRT, your doctor may prescribe medication to control your heart rate or stabilize a normal heart rhythm. But medicines have their side-effects and give temporary relief only.
- Catheter ablation: In this procedure, The cardiac electrophysiologist threads one or more catheters through your blood vessels to your heart. Electrodes at the catheter tips can use heat, extreme cold to damage (ablate) a small spot of heart tissue and create an electrical block along the pathway that’s causing your arrhythmia. This technique cures the heartbeat disease for life and patients need not take any medication in future.
