The medical term used to describe an inappropriately fast heart rate (“racing heart”) is tachycardia. In children, the child’s heart rate can vary by age—the younger the child, the faster the normal heart rate—but as a rule, a heart rate greater than 200 beats per minute can be considered faster than normal. There are two different types of tachycardia. Sinus tachycardia, which is a elevated heart rate due to either stress (a playmate jumps out from behind the bushes and shouts “boo”) or physical activity such as running and jumping. Abnormal tachycardia  is the other type where something else is going on that causes the heart to race.

Symptoms

• Palpitations
• Difficulty breathing
• Sweating
• Lightheadedness
• Passing-out spells

What to do

Rest
The first this to do when an abnormal tachycardia occurs is to have the child rest quietly with his or her head raised. If this does not resolve the situation, then other actions can be attempted before seeking medical help.

Vagal Maneuver
Older children may be able to perform what’s known as the Vagal Maneuver. In this case, you ask the child to take a deep breath and “bear down” as if they were trying to go to the bathroom. In younger children (under the age of ten), this may not work because the child may actually have a bowel movement.  So for younger children, other options might be to simply ask them to either blow on their thumb or stand on their head (or simply hold them upside down by their feet.)

Ice to the Face
Either take a baggie full of ice, or preferably a bag of frozen peas, and just place it on the bridge of the child’s nose and eyes.

BioFeedback
 When anxiety is the cause of a rapid heart rate, biofeedback or relaxation techniques can be used to help slow the heart.

Tips and warnings

Under certain circumstances, such as situations where the child passes out, tachycardia should prompt immediate medical attention. The child should also be seen by a doctor if he or she is experiencing tachycardia on a regular basis, or if it is associated with severe symptoms.

Also, when actions, such as the Vagal Maneuver and ice to the face, fail to eliminate the tachycardia, medical evaluation should be sought where an EKG can help diagnose the source or cause of the tachycardia.

Regular visits to your doctor can help you rule out whether your child should been seen by a specialist or if the tachycardia is a symptom of another condition such as a thyroid problem or a lung condition, or if it is due to certain medications.

THIS ARTICLE IS NOT INTENDED AS MEDICAL ADVICE. PLEASE BE SURE TO SEEK THE ADVICE OF A LICENSED MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL BEFORE ADMINISTERING ANY MEDICAL CARE.