By Dr. Arnab Samanta
Tachycardia is a condition when our heart beats faster than normal. There are several ways to normalize fast beating heart – Vagal maneuvres (change on vagus nerve impulse), Medications, Cardioversion (electrical shock to the heart), Surgery, etc. Often after a heart operation the heart rate goes up because of the stress of the operation. Recently a ten-week baby, Finley Burton, was operated at Freeman Hospital in Newcastle in UK to block a hole in his heart. After surgery his heart rate increased at over 300 beats per minute, double the normal rate of 160 in infants, which could be a fatal condition of tachycardia.
- The doctors placed the baby in a cool bag through which a blast of cool air is pumped into to reduce the temperature from 37 to 33.4 deg C. Lowering the body temperature reduced his metabolism which in turn slowed his heart rate.
- He was then placed over a cooling blanket. The baby was then linked to an external pacemaker. Intra-venous drugs were injected to paralyse him so that he did not shiver (Shivering would disturb the equipment, wires, assemblies, etc.).
- After two days his body temperature was raised slowly to normal temperature, but again tachycardia precipitated. He was again chilled for next two days and finally his heart rate became normal. He was released after 16 days from the hospital.
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