Health Dictionary
Reliable, easy-to-read patient information on common medical conditions — written in plain language, free of jargon, and grounded in current evidence. Browse the most frequent diagnoses, understand what they mean for everyday life, and learn which steps and questions help you have a focused conversation with your doctor.
Inappropriate sinus tachycardia diagnostic criteria
Introduction
Diagnostic Criteria
Diagnostic Criteria
No formal diagnostic criteria exist. A diagnosis of Inappropriate sinus tachycardia is primarily a diagnosis of exclusion and the following must be observed:
- Exclusion of all other causes of sinus tachycardia
- Common forms of supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) must be excluded
- Normal P wave morphology
- A resting sinus tachycardia is usually (but not always) present
- A nocturnal reduction in heart rate from over 100 beats per minute to 80 – 90 beats per minute
- There is an inappropriate heart rate response on exertion so that the heart rate accelerates to 140 – 150 beats per minute with minimal exertion.
- The mean heart rate during 24 hrs of monitoring is > 95 bpm
- Symptoms are documented to be due to tachycardia
- Hypotension may occasionally be observed
- Syncope (fainting) is occasionally reported
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]