Summary
Differentials
Common
- Sinus tachycardia
- Atrial tachycardia
- Atrial flutter
- Atrial fibrillation
- Atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia
- Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome (WPW)
- Premature ventricular beat
- Premature atrial beat
- Anxiety and panic disorder
- Fever
- Hyperthyroidism
- Excess alcohol use (binge drinking)
- Caffeine
- QT prolonging drugs
- Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS)
Uncommon
- Inappropriate sinus tachycardia
- Idiopathic ventricular tachycardia
- Long QT syndrome
- Brugada syndrome
- Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
- VT in the setting of other structural heart disease
- Pheochromocytoma
Contributors
Authors
Christopher Pickett, MD

Associate Professor of Medicine
Co-Director of Electrophysiology
Director, Clinical Cardiology
Pat and Jim Calhoun Cardiology Center
University of Connecticut Health Center
Farmington
CT
Disclosures
CP declares that he has no competing interests.
Peter J. Zimetbaum, MD
Professor of Medicine
Associate Chief and Director, Clinical Cardiology
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Harvard Medical School
Boston
MA
Disclosures
PJZ declares that he has no competing interests.
Peer reviewers
Brian Olshansky, MD
Professor of Medicine
University of Iowa Hospitals
Iowa City
IA
Disclosures
BO declares that he has no competing interests.
Vias Markides, MB(Hons), BS(Hons), MD, FRCP
Consultant Cardiologist and Chair
Arrhythmias
Royal Brompton & Harefield NHS Trust
Hon. Senior Lecturer
Imperial College
London
UK
Disclosures
VM declares that he has no competing interests.
References
Key articles
Joglar JA, Chung MK, Armbruster AL, et al. 2023 ACC/AHA/ACCP/HRS guideline for the diagnosis and management of atrial fibrillation: a report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Joint Committee on Clinical Practice Guidelines. Circulation. 2024 Jan 2;149(1):e1-e156.Full text Abstract
Page RL, Joglar JA, Caldwell MA, et al. 2015 ACC/AHA/HRS guideline for the management of adult patients with supraventricular tachycardia: a report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Clinical Practice Guidelines and the Heart Rhythm Society. Circulation. 2016 Apr 5;133(14):e506-74.Full text Abstract
Al-Khatib SM, Stevenson WG, Ackerman MJ, et al. 2017 AHA/ACC/HRS guideline for management of patients with ventricular arrhythmias and the prevention of sudden cardiac death: a report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Clinical Practice Guidelines and the Heart Rhythm Society. Circulation. 2018 Sep 25;138(13):e272-391.Full text Abstract
National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. Atrial fibrillation: diagnosis and management. Jun 2021 [internet publication].Full text
Reference articles
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