Facts About the Heart Condition Known as Supraventricular Tachycardia

Connel Patrick loves to swim, ride his bike, and run laps around the driveway. He is a typical six-year-old boy...and he has a heart condition called Supraventricular Tachycardia.

Tachycardia means a fast heart rate. Supraventricular means coming from above the ventricle. Commonly referred to as SVT, this irregularity causes his heart to beat very fast. In a normal heart, there are electrical connections called conduction tissue. These connections carry the electrical current through the heart muscle and cause it to beat. SVT happens when a heart has an extra electrical connection. When this connection is turned on, the heart beats much faster than normal. It's not usually dangerous and can be treated with medication, but it can be very scary - especially when it happens for the first time.

Source: Children's Memorial Hospital, Chicago Illinois. Resources for Parents and Families. February 2005

At noon on a snowy day in March 2007, Connel, a dinosaur fanatic since the age of two, was living out his dream. He had traveled from his home in Michigan to Chicago and was finally at the Field Museum of Natural History, examining Tyrannosaurus Sue (the most complete T-Rex skeleton in the world) in person. But, in a split second his mood changed from excited to exhausted. "My tummy feels funny," he told his mother, Jennifer, as he hugged his stomach and hunched over . "I need to go to the bathroom."

"I took him to the restroom," recalls Jennifer, " but it didn't help him." He complained of being really thirsty, but several drinks from the water fountain didn't help quench his thirst. According to Jennifer, Connel looked very pale and felt clammy. "We found a seating area and rested while my husband took our younger son to look at the dinosaur exhibit. Connel, who had been looking forward to this trip to the museum for years, was on my lap with his eyes closed," Jennifer recounts.