Cardiology Teaching Package
A Beginners Guide to Normal Heart Function, Sinus Rhythm & Common Cardiac Arrhythmias
Supra-Ventricular Tachycardia
There are hundreds of abbreviations used in Cardiology that both medical and nursing staff take for granted, but that can cause confusion amongst non-Cardiology staff.
One of these abbreviations is "SVT". Often, even junior doctors are not sure about this one and you sometimes see it entered, or discussed, as though it is a diagnosis.
The term "supra-ventricular" means "above the ventricles". In terms of conduction this means that the abnormal rhythm is being initiated from above the ventricles. That is, from somewhere within the atria.
Tachycardia simply relates to the rate being above one 100 bpm.
