VT represents a group of ‘electrical short-circuits’ originating in the bottom chambers of the heart. This causes an abnormally fast heart rhythm that may lead to black-outs (syncope) or sudden cardiac death

Palpitations, dizziness, breathlessness, chest discomfort

Sudden cardiac death

Treatment is dependent on the type and location of the VT

Medications are a back-bone of therapy and include: beta-blockers, calcium channel blockers or amiodarone

Implantable cardiac defibrillators may be required if the VT is prolonged (>30 seconds), associated with severe symptoms (black-outs), or sometimes as a preventative if a patient is at very high risk (severe heart failure)

Ablation: this involves an electrophysiological (EP) study to identify the abnormal electrical tissue, then using radiofrequency ablation the area is burnt therefore disrupting the pathway