Superventricular Tachycardia [posted 7/31/98]
Question: What side effects does alcohol have mixed with Calan SR 240 mg once daily and Tenormin 50 mg twice daily? My husband who is taking the medication has Superventricular Tachycardia and is 22 years old.

Answer: No major problem mixing these three. However, some patients experience cardiac irritability and arrhythmias with alcohol. If he has this problem he needs to avoid alcohol completely.

Supra Ventricular Tachycardia [posted 7/31/98]
Question: I am a 23 year old male who was diagnosed with supra ventricular tachycardia when I was about 15. My cardiologist at the time explained to me that there was an extra nerve in my heart that allowed the electric current in my heart to "shortcut" its normal route. When I was 18 I underwent a radio wave ablation to remove the suspect nerve. I have been fine until recently when I have been experiencing what I can only describe as a "flutter" or a "hard beat". I have made an appointment with a cardiac specialist about this but in the meantime I would appreciate any information about the possible causes of this "flutter" and any suggestions you can send me.

Answer: Due to the radioablation of your accessory pathway, the electrical conduction of your heart may be markedly different from "normal". I would recommend that you get the flutter recorded on either an EKG or a Holter monitor. Then the proper course of treatment, if any, can be prescribed.

Tachycardia - Hypertension
Question: I am taking a calcium channel blocker to reduce my blood pressure but my heart rate is always in the 90 to 100 beats per minute range. Is that abnormally high?

Answer: Technically, tachycardia is defined as over 105. However, 90-100 is certainly higher than average. Was your pulse high prior to the calcium channel blocker? Generally, this class of drugs won't elevate your pulse, but some tend to be more peripheral vasodilators (nifedipine, etc.) and some patients respond with higher pulses. There are calcium channel blockers (verapamil, cardiazem, etc.) that tend to slow your pulse. If you are on one of these, this is a fast pulse and should be investigated. If you are on Nifedipine, this is an occasional side effect. It won't do you any harm, but could be a sign of another problem like hyperthyroidism or early conduction problems with your heart.

Aerobic Range
Question: I am working with a woman who has the above diagnosis and who had two radio-frequency ablations performed, which have alleviated her symptoms. My questions concerns her ability to work out in an aerobic range and if this is compromised by her condition or the procedures. She seems to weaken quickly and is very sensitive to any type of cardiovascular workload above the resting range.

Answer: Her heart is not weakened-the conduction system has been partially radioablatted. As a consequence, she may have trouble getting her heart rate to the higher levels required of aerobic exercise. But, there is no contraindication for exercise after radio ablattion of her cardiac electrical system.
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