Supraventricular Tachycardia report from Arrhythmia Alliance

Report on supraventricular tachycardia will be used to inspire Centres across the globe to improve care and quality of life for people.

Stratford Upon Avon, UK — The charity Arrhythmia Alliance has launched the Arrhythmia Alliance Healthcare Pioneers Report — Showcasing Best Practice in SVT to provide examples of good care to inspire Centres across the globe to improve outcomes and quality of life of people with the arrhythmia (heart rhythm disorder) supraventricular tachycardia (SVT). The report follows the established Healthcare Pioneer Reports: AF Association Healthcare Pioneers Report — Showcasing Best Practice in AF and STARS Healthcare Pioneers Report — Showcasing Best Practice in Syncope. Published by Arrhythmia Alliance’s sister charities, AF Association and STARS respectively, these reports outline innovative approaches to managing atrial fibrillation (AF) and syncope (fainting).

SVT is a rapid increase in resting heart rate (above 100 beats per minute) that originates in the atria (the upper chambers of the heart). The diagnosis of SVT can be challenging because the condition is episodic in nature (i.e., does not occur all the time) and, therefore, difficult to identify unless an electrocardiogram (ECG) can record an episode at the time it occurs. Another challenge is that despite treatment (e.g., medication such as beta-blockers), some people with SVT continue to have symptoms. Additionally, some people discontinue taking medication because they cannot tolerate the side-effects.

Therefore, the aim of Arrhythmia Alliance Healthcare Pioneers Report — Showcasing Best Practice in SVT is to explore innovative approaches to diagnosing and treating SVT. The report includes a case study from Dr Shouvik Haldar (Royal Brompton & Harefield Hospitals, London, UK), who used personal ECGs to address the challenges of diagnosing SVT during the UK lockdown. He notes: “We have used novel ways to improve diagnosis of arrythmias in patients with SVT, including the increasing use of personal ECG devices during this current pandemic… ultimately having wider options and embracing the potential of digital health tools is likely to be beneficial for patients and physicians alike with hopefully shorter times to diagnosis and treatment.”

Professor Hugh Calkins (Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Baltimore, MD, USA), Medical Director & Board Member, Arrhythmia Alliance, comments: “The case studies in this report examine the current challenges in diagnosing and managing people with SVT and provide potential solutions to these challenges. However, the aim of the SVT Pioneers report is not just to ‘Showcase Best Practice” but also to encourage centers across the globe to consider what innovative approaches they could adopt to improve care and quality of life for people with SVT.

Ultimately, with the report, we want to inspire other Centers to become “SVT Pioneers” and “Centers of Excellence”.

The report is published on the dedicated SVT Pioneers website (www.SVTPioneers.org), which also has an online database of SVT “Centres of Excellence”. The aim of the Centres of Excellence database is to enable people with SVT to locate Centres of Excellence within their area and to help non-SVT healthcare professionals, such as general practitioners, identify Centres that they can refer patients to — with both patients and healthcare professionals safe in the knowledge that the Centres have been vetted, by Arrhythmia Alliance, as institutions that provide excellent and reliable care.

Mrs. Trudie Lobban, Founder and CEO of Arrhythmia Alliance, says: “At Arrhythmia Alliance, we have always advocated the importance of ‘turning the patient back into a person’. With this new report, we hope to encourage Centres across the globe to seek new ways to improve the care and quality of life with people with SVT. We believe that by working together, healthcare professionals and people with SVT can overcome the current challenges of this condition.”

She continues: “With our new Centres of Excellence database, we are providing a resource that helps people with SVT find and receive the care that they need. SVT is rarely life-threatening, but it can be life-changing. Our goal, with the report and the Centres of Excellence database, is to ensure that people with SVT can go about their daily lives without having to be concerned about their condition.”

Arrhythmia Alliance (A-A) provides support, information, education, and awareness to all those affected by or involved in the care of cardiac arrhythmias.

Arrhythmia Alliance Healthcare Pioneers Report — Showcasing Best Practice in SVT 2021 can be downloaded from here: www.SVTPioneers.org

Submissions for Arrhythmia Alliance Healthcare Pioneers Report — Showcasing Best Practice in SVT 2022 will open 7th June 2021, marking the start of Arrhythmia Alliance World Heart Rhythm Week 2021 (WHRW; 7–13 June). For more information about WHRW, visit: www.worldheartrhythmweek.org