Ventricular tachycardia (VT)
Also calledVT · V-tach · V tach · VTach · ventricular tachycardia
Definition
Three or more consecutive complexes originating in the ventricles (below the bundle of His) at a rate over 100 bpm, usually producing a wide-QRS tachycardia. AV dissociation, with the ventricular rate faster than the atrial rate and P waves unrelated to the QRS complexes, establishes the diagnosis when present, but it is often absent, because retrograde conduction from the ventricles to the atria (1:1, 2:1, or in a Wenckebach pattern) occurs in up to half of VT. Nonsustained VT ends on its own in under 30 seconds; sustained VT lasts more than 30 seconds or needs to be terminated sooner because of hemodynamic compromise.
Clinical noteAV dissociation strongly supports VT, but its absence does not exclude it, because retrograde conduction to the atria is common.
Sources
- 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: executive summary. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2018;72(14):1677-1749. doi.org/10.1016/j.jacc.2017.10.053
- Page RL, Joglar JA, Caldwell MA, et al. 2015 ACC/AHA/HRS guideline for the management of adult patients with supraventricular tachycardia. Circulation. 2016;133(14):e506-e574. doi.org/10.1161/CIR.0000000000000311
- Samesima N, God EG, Kruse JCL, et al. Brazilian Society of Cardiology guidelines on the analysis and issuance of electrocardiographic reports - 2022. Arq Bras Cardiol. 2022;119(4):638-680. doi.org/10.36660/abc.20220623
- Alzand BS, Crijns HJ. Diagnostic criteria of broad QRS complex tachycardia: decades of evolution. Europace. 2011;13(4):465-472. doi.org/10.1093/europace/euq430
Last reviewed 2 October 2026. Every definition in the EKG Dictionary cites the guideline, consensus statement or original paper it comes from.