Should I call an ambulance for this?

@SleepyRich Youre singing to the choir. I dont know how often I phone from work for an ambulance.

But as you know s many callers fall into one of 2 categories. Call 999 cos they've broken a finger nail. Or debate 'being a nusiance' and thinking the bleeding will stop/the chest pain will go away. Its the latter ones that need the encouragement to call & if necessary let ambulance control make the decision for them. The people that just think ambulances are for people so much worse off than them. At least if they make the call, the ball is rolling

Pretty much anything can be life-threatening.
"Supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) is a condition where your heart suddenly beats much faster than normal. It's not usually serious, but some people may need treatment."

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/supraventricular-tachycardia-svt/

Thanks for your insight though.

I was referring to the people who tell you to call 999 if x symptom/situation occurs. It's just defensive/something to say that's protective for the person saying it and can't come back on them.

I'm actually one of the people who runs through the calls seeing if people can make their own way (we rotate through different roles). The training for that particular side of the service was a 2 day course on how to use a particular piece of software (that bizarrely we don't actually use in the role), there was no training about anything patient safety, just how to word the request so that the responsibility falls on the patient if anything goes wrong - it's all defensive practice.

I've said it a few times before on here - absolutely a taxi is a safer service then the ambulance service for most life threatening emergencies. But if you thought your life was at eminent risk, why on earth would you want to wait an hour for the call back "we're working to be with you as soon as we can but due to unprecedented demand it could be another 1-2 hours. If YOU agree, if YOU think you could safely make your way in a taxi, I can book one to be with you in 20mins, there wouldn't be any charge, you should be triaged by the medical team shortly after arrival".

Clearly an elderly fall on floor cant get up, a broken leg, sepsis confused - isn't ever going to be able to get in a taxi. But a child with an appendicitis or meningitis, new onset crushing chest pain, thunderclap headache - all could be put in a car. All imminently life threatening emergencies with a clock counting down - but if they can be picked up and put in a car seat/driven to the hospital why on Earth would you wait the hour for us to call you back just to get a free taxi - if you were that worried you wouldn't wait you'd get to hospital the quickest way.

Yet if an individual formally tells you that it might be fine to goto A&E in a car driven by your partner because you only live x minutes away and you should come to harm during that journey then they could then be asked to defend that advice/why they thought that was ok

Presumably they'll have been trained in risk assessment etc, and will be able to Ambulance control are pushing back more now, rightly so, and telling people to make their own way into A&E. In some cases they're even sending taxis if people are calling for an ambulance because they have no way of getting to hospital

Unless it's life & death it seems to be down more to a clinician at ambulance control to make the decisions. I would expect they're highly trained to be allowed to say yes or no

OP is asking advice from paramedics or other people who know about the condition. If you don't know what it means you are not likely to be able to advise her. You could look it up on Google.

Actually when people give on the record advice it's defensive to say 'call 999 and wait for an ambulance' - because there is no risk for the person giving this advice to a patient should they come to harm. I.e. if that patient comes to harm waiting for an ambulance because they sat at home for x hours when they could have been at hospital hours earlier and had their life saved then nobody gets in any trouble at all/everyone is fine (other than the patient).

Yet if an individual formally tells you that it might be fine to goto A&E in a car driven by your partner because you only live x minutes away and you should come to harm during that journey then they could then be asked to defend that advice/why they thought that was ok.

I'm a Paramedic.
For what it's worth my opinion is that if you are experiencing an episode of suspected SVT which is lasting 5 minutes beyond what you experience as a 'normal' episode/doesn't cease with the typical manoeuvres OR you feel unwell in the episode then I would advise being seen in hospital.

I would only advise calling 999 if you're too unwell/unable to make your own way. Honestly all the flow charts/advice you'll get officially will say call 999 - but essentially if you can make your own way is saying you're happy to wait 1-2 hours (typical cat2 response time) in your house alone/without any medical supervision whilst you wait for that ambulance.

Then what do we actually do that's of benefit - yep we'll be polite and nice, we'll do an ECG (to tell you that yup you have and SVT) and take your history (which you'll only then have to repeat again at triage in A&E), walk you out to the ambulance, drive you upto the A&E - you will actually get medical care and supervision quicker if you someone can drive you up.

We're actually really only of any meaningful use if it's actually not an SVT you're in, but actually a VT (instead of a fast narrow complex tachycardia it's a fast wide complex tachycardia - this is a rhythm that the ambulance service has treatment for, it's also a rhythm that can become pulseless/cardiac arrest).

It's your health, when ever you experience an episode of illness it's for you to assess that particular situation and decide do you need an ambulance or is there an alternative.

Usually I just make my own way to hospital, but after a recent attack a few months ago a nurse told me I categorically must call an ambulance next time and if I’m in SVT then I should never risk going on a bus or taxi to hospital myself etc

I'd say the decision has been made for you. Listen to the experts. Theyre not going to tell someone to call an ambulance unless it's essential

Remember too, calling an ambulance doesn't always mean they'll send one. Your call is triaged so if they think you dont need one they'll tell you to make your own way.

They'll reinforce that you make the right decision calling them

Please don’t worry about wasting anyone’s time and definitely don’t be mortified about having to get an ambulance. This is what we all pay our taxes for, just because the politicians have messed up the NHS, doesn’t mean you should feel bad about using it. Don’t mess around with heart problems, get an ambulance if you need one.

Things have got so bad that my sister was advised by the ambulance service not to wait for an ambulance but to take her FIL to hospital straight away because it was going to be min 4 hours.

It’s no unreasonable to phone an ambulance for this BUT given the current state of the ambulance service you’d potentially be waiting a few hours for an ambulance so unless anything felt different to normal or chest pain, etc then i’d probably just phone a taxi/friend instead and be there within 20-30minutes.

The state of ambulances right now is that it is quicker to get a cab.

I have 2 elderly parents who have had falls with broken bones and other issues requiring emergency attention or admission etc in the past couple of years and I don’t even bother calling an ambulance now I just get an Uber.

I don't mean to alarm you but a friend suffered from SVT from childhood then suddenly went into cardiac arrest during an episode when she was 24. She needed a defib to bring her back. Then eventually an implant. But if they hadn't had called an ambulance she most likely would have passed away as her heart needed shocked back into normal rhythm and there was no defibrillator locally.

As it was she was out for nearly 20 minutes and was in a coma for 3 days afterwards, not expected to make it. She'd known she was having an episode SVT and just ignored it as she was so used to it and had got a bit blasè, then she just flopped over as she was trying to get on with her laundry! Luckily one of our other friends had nipped over to her house with a birthday gift 5 minutes before, so she wasn't alone and had someone there to call an ambulance.

Can report she's happily middle aged with a great life now!

Don't feel bad about the ambulance. You might just need it one day and it's not worth risking the alternative.

I had SVT, had a successful ablation 4 years ago. Like yourself my episodes were stubborn and towards the end I always needed converted, one of my worst episodes my hr was up at 280, I was bluighted from the horse show I was at and crashed in the ambulance resulting in needing defibrillated. Your episodes sound similar so if you have no one with you to take you to hospital I would phone an ambulance

I would just call a taxi but appreciate that doesn't look like it's the correct thing to do! I've always held the believe that an ambulance should only be called if someone is dying or cannot be moved by a different method of transport (like they need to be lying down , serious RTA etc)

Dorry, just read your updates about how stubborn your attacks are, that they make you feel unwell and that you've already had an ablation. In your situation, if they don't usually resolve and not linked to anxiety, then I think that you're better setting off to A&E as soon as they happen. If you feel short of breath or unwell, then i wouldn't walk or get public transport. I would get a neighbour or partner to rush you straight in or call a taxi. If one doesn't show up right away, then i would call an ambulance and get in which ever arrived first. If you tend to need treatment to convert then there is little point in hanging around at home trying to relax and convert back. The only thing that ever worked for me was bearing down as hard as I could the moment that i felt it start, as in less than a second. That worked, but if i waited and missed the chance, it was much harder to resolve.

This is fascinating! I had SVT from 14 to about 29, when I had radio wave ablation which resolved it completely.

My heart would go to about 200 beats per minute and could stay there for several hours before self-resolving. I was never told to go to A&E, but this was 26 or so years ago.

I used to feel dreadful during the attacks.

I had no idea there was a chance it come back again.

I had SVT for years, call a ambulance, I did not, but one time they were so bad, my partner and I went to hospital by cab. I was administered adenosine and they did stop. I later on had an ablation, it worked, but I now finding it coming back, but not as bad.

Please do as the medical staff say and call a ambulance, the palpitations are unpleasant, frightening, and need medical attention as soon as possible. Best of luck OP I know whst they can be like.

I've also been advised to call an ambulance for prolonged episodes, and I have done a few times. One occasion I was told it was a long wait, so ended up getting a taxi, but it's definitely not unreasonable to call an ambulance if you've been advised to.

What does your care plan say? Is it in date or are you due a review

An SVT at that rate can definitely be life threatening - doctor here who had a successful ablation a few years ago! @MisunderstoodNettles if there is no one to take you straight away I would definitely call 999 with your history. You know your body and symptoms and the fact that you need to be cardioverted! My sympathy, I only ever needed adenosine and that was awful enough!!

I had SVT. Infrequent but stubborn attacks. I always felt well during mine. Despite feeling fine I was told not to drive. 111 told me to go to A&E. Dr advised to call an ambulance. In fact the drs called me an ambulance once when i was at the surgery and had been in SVT for 45 mins. Thankfully i converted back before it arrived. I've only called an ambulance once when it was 4am and my husband couldn't drive me to hospital as had to atay with the kids. It felt like complete overkill. I feel as though it actually slowed things down, imcreased mu anxiety and kept the attack going. By the time i arrived in Resus I had been in SVT at 200bmp for 2 hours and had to have a low dose of adenosine which thankfully worked first time and was fine. But then i was stuck there for another 5 hours. I was advised to go to A&E if i had an attack that lasted more than half an hour. I used to give it about 45 minutes because most self resolved within an hour and would have stopped by the time that I got there. We only live a 10-15 minute drive from hospital, which is pretty handy so if I could get someone to drove me, I would get there before an ambulance reached me anyway. The disadvantage of calling an ambulance is that the paramedics spend ages rigging you up to equipment, try to get you to convert back with various valsalva techniques and then you have to lie flat on a trolley that rocks you around a lot in the back. Then you are stuck in Resus surrounded by people being resuscitated too. Whereas if you go to A&E they should see you straight away and treat you in a curtained booth or room (mine have always resolved before i've got to that point though, so i've then had to wait 3 hours to be seen. The advantage is that you have people on hand in case anything goes wrong.
In essence I think that it depends upon whether you feel ill during your attacks, how high your heart rate goes and how long they typically last. Also how long it takes to get to hospital by car. I used to wait an hour and then get my husband to drive me straight to A&E. Then after the dr advised me, I would wait 30 mins and get someone to drive me straight in.
I know that an ambulance feels like overkill. It's a weird one because it's not usually life threatening and also, even after my attack that lasted 2 hours and required adenosine, the cardiac nurse advised that I would be fine to get a long haul flight and that i should continue to live my life. Anyway, I started to feel anxious about flying, so in the end jad an ablation in June. I have been told that they think it has worked. I've not had another attack since although, it has only been 7 months and I could go up to 2 years without an attack. If you want to PM me, i am more than happy to chat more about my ablation.

I have no idea who told you SVT isn’t life-threatening but be assured it can be.

I didn't know either. Took me 2 seconds to Google it. Probably less time than it took you to write your snide post