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Definition

Tachycardia is a fast heart rate (100 beats per minute or faster in an adult).

This can be compared to bradycardia which is an unusually slow heart rate, usually signified by a pulse under 60 beats per minute.

Additional Info

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Tachycardia can be caused by exertion, strenuous exercise, emotions, hyperthyroidism (overactivity of the thyroid gland), disease, injury, heart disorders, or exposure to certain drugs or chemicals.

Ventricular tachycardia refers specifically to tachycardia that is initiated in the ventricles of the heart. You may have heard the slang "V-tach" used for this condition on medical television shows such as E.R.

Supraventricular tachycardia is initiated in the area of the heart above the ventricles and is sometimes abbreviated SVT.

There are many additional subtypes of tachycardia, but these are beyond the realm of focus here (Safety Data Sheets and related safety documents). See Further Reading below for more information.

SDS Relevance

This term usually appears in Section 11 (toxicological information) of a Safety Data Sheet as a symptom of chemical exposure. However, an abnormally fast heart rate could be due to chemical exposure, a heart attack, or simply a panic attack, among other causes. Read the SDS's of the chemicals you work with so you know if they can affect the heart rate or body chemistry. If you ever experience an unusual heart rate be sure to seek immediate medical attention.

Further Reading

• Ventricular tachycardia at the NIH's Medline Plus Medical Encyclopedia.
• Ventricular Tachycardia (for Professionals) at the American Heart Association.
• Supraventricular Tachycardia from Circulation, 2002, 106, e206 - includes terrific color drawings.
• Tachycardia, a multipage resource at MayoClinic.com
• Cardiac Literature, including Myocardial Infarction, arrthymias, tachycardia, and angina at BioMedSearch, a search engine for highly technical info on the topic. The site was unreachable as of late 2020 so this is a link to the Internet Archive Wayback Machine.

See also: bradycardia, palpitation.

Additional definitions from Google and OneLook.

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