Atrial Tachycardia

Atrial tachycardia is a type of arrhythmia — an irregular heart rhythm — that causes the upper chambers (atria) of your heart to beat faster than normal. They can beat 100 to 250 beats per minute. Atrial tachycardia is a type of SVT or supraventricular tachycardia. These happen in your atria, which are the upper chambers of your heart.

This condition has several possible causes, but usually isn’t dangerous. It’s often curable or manageable with medication.

Who does atrial tachycardia affect?

In general, atrial tachycardia can happen to anyone. However, certain types of atrial tachycardia are more likely to happen at different ages.

How common is atrial tachycardia?

Atrial tachycardia is fairly common, and it becomes more common as people get older. There are about 90,000 new cases of paroxysmal (short-lived) atrial tachycardia per year in the U.S.

What happens during atrial tachycardia?

During atrial tachycardia, the upper chambers of your heart squeeze faster than the lower chambers. A faulty electrical signal or malfunctioning cell can cause this. There are three ways that this usually happens:

• Automaticity: Another group of cells or a single cell in your heart can become dominant over your normal cells that set the pace of your heart rhythm. This can happen because of an imbalance of sodium, potassium and calcium.
• Triggered activity: Sometimes, a chemical imbalance in heart muscle cells may make them fire when they aren’t supposed to.
• Reentry: Because of a redirection of electricity, cells can form a circuit and propagate this wave of electricity leading to abnormal beats. This typically happens after surgery or with scar tissue in your heart.

What are the different types of atrial tachycardia?

Atrial tachycardia has two types:

Focal. This kind of atrial tachycardia starts in a specific location (focus) on your heart. It’s usually not dangerous. However, it can be if it continues over a longer period.

In some cases, there can be more than one focus. This is called multifocal atrial tachycardia. This type of atrial tachycardia can be easier to diagnose but may also be harder to treat. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and other lung issues are common causes.

Micro-reentrant. This type of atrial tachycardia works similarly to reentry, but it affects a wider area. It also usually happens because the signal has to travel around a part of your heart or an area of scar tissue.