Q: I have been suffering from rapid heart beats since the age of 14. Now I am 28 years old. I regularly get the attack of Tachycardia at a frequency of 3 to 4 months. I also suffer from Gastritis which has complicated the problem. Whenever I have the attack by holding my breath or sitting in special postures, I get back my normal heart beat. I had consulted doctors in Apollo, and they said that there was no problem. What is the cure for this? Can I go in for marriage with out the fear that I will not get any stroke. Are any non-invasive techniques available. Please advice.

A:The episodes of palpitations you get appear to be episodes of PSVT (a form of tachycardia due to short circuiting of cardiac impulses). Although most of these tachycardias are not life threatening but being very unpredictable they can be a source of discomfort and a nuiscance and they can at times pose problems too. These tachycardias once confirmed are curable by a procedure called radiofrequency ablation. A very safe procedure done under local anaesthesia by an invasive but nonsurgical method. It requires hospitalisation for 1 or 2 days at the most. I think you should get in touch with a cardiologist who specialises in the field of electrophysiolgy for further guidance. Marriage should not be a problem.