[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":3,"doc-detail-452930-en":59,"doc-seo-452930-105":81},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"success",[7,13,18,23,28,33,38,43,48,51,55],{"id":8,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":10,"show_sort_weight":11,"slug":12},1,"Document","Story & Novel",90,"story-novel",{"id":14,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":15,"show_sort_weight":16,"slug":17},2,"Literature",80,"literature",{"id":19,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":20,"show_sort_weight":21,"slug":22},4,"Exam",70,"exam",{"id":24,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":25,"show_sort_weight":26,"slug":27},5,"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":29,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":30,"show_sort_weight":31,"slug":32},6,"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":34,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":35,"show_sort_weight":36,"slug":37},7,"Healthcare",40,"healthcare",{"id":39,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":40,"show_sort_weight":41,"slug":42},8,"Research & Report",30,"research-report",{"id":44,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":45,"show_sort_weight":46,"slug":47},9,"Religion & Spirituality",20,"religion-spirituality",{"id":46,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":49,"show_sort_weight":46,"slug":50},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":52,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":53,"show_sort_weight":52,"slug":54},10,"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":56,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":57,"show_sort_weight":24,"slug":58},19,"General","general",{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":60},{"doc_id":61,"user_id":62,"nickname":63,"user_avatar":64,"doc_module":4,"category_id":34,"category_name":35,"doc_title":65,"doc_description":66,"doc_content":67,"file_id":68,"file_url":69,"file_type":70,"file_size":71,"view_count":72,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":8,"is_downloadable":8,"audit_status":8,"page_count":34,"language":73,"language_code":74,"site_id":75,"html_lang":74,"table_of_contents":76,"faqs":77,"seo_title":78,"seo_description":66,"update_tm":79,"read_time":80,"preview_page_count":4},452930,1099513958762,"Logic","https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/avatar/1000023916a998db790?x-image-process=image/resize,m_fixed,w_180,h_180&k=1784791008015729253","Misdiagnosis of Supraventricular Tachycardia as Panic Attacks - A Case Report Highlighting the Importance of Accurate Cardiovascular Evaluation","Palpitations present a broad differential, spanning benign symptoms to life-threatening arrhythmias, yet clinical work often must separate cardiac rhythm disorders from anxiety-related panic attacks with overlapping presentations. This case report describes a 45-year-old woman initially labeled with panic disorder after unexplained episodes. She failed multiple anti-anxiolytic trials and had repeated emergency visits, with prior cardiac evaluations reported as negative. During an ER visit, sustained tachycardia (217 bpm) revealed narrow complex supraventricular tachycardia consistent with AVNRT, resolving promptly with intravenous diltiazem. The report emphasizes timely, accurate cardiovascular assessment to prevent diagnostic delay and unnecessary psychiatric management.","Review began 06/07/2025  \nReview ended 12/02/2025  \nPublished 12/07/2025  \n© Copyright 2025  \nMatta et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License CC-BY 4.0. , which permits unrestricted use , distribution , and reproduction in any medium , provided the original author and source are credited.  \nDOI: 10.7759/cureus.98658  \nOpen Access Case Report  \nMisdiagnosis of Supraventricular Tachycardia as Panic Attacks: A Case Report Highlighting the Importance of Accurate Cardiovascular Evaluation  \nSammy Matta 1, George Mikhail 2, Daniel Ugona 2, Roxana Lazarescu 1 , Annie Taffaro 3  \n1. Internal Medicine, Wyckoff Heights Medical Center, Brooklyn, USA 2. Internal Medicine, St. George 's University School of Medicine, St. George 's, GRD 3. Internal Medicine, Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine, New York City, USA  \nCorresponding author: George Mikhail, [georgemikhail97@gmail.com](georgemikhail97@gmail.com)  \nAbstract  \nPalpitations are a common symptom with diverse etiologies, ranging from benign to life-threatening conditions. One of the challenges in clinical practice is differentiating between cardiac arrhythmias and psychiatric disorders, such as panic attacks, as their symptoms often overlap. This case report presents a 45-year-old female who presented with a history of unexplained panic attacks. She was initially diagnosed with panic disorder. However, she was refractory to all anti-anxiolytic trials. The patient had multiple emergency room (ER) visits for similar episodes, during which all cardiac workups, including electrocardiogram (ECG) and echocardiograms (echo) at a different facility, were negative according to the patient. During an ER visit for a similar episode at Wyckoff Heights Medical Center, she was found to have supraventricular tachycardia (SVT), specifically atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia (AVNRT) . The most prominent evidence in her presentation was a sustained heart rate of 217 beats per minute, which ultimately led to performing an ECG. The findings ofthe ECG were consistent with a diagnosis of narrow complex tachycardia suggestive of SVT. The patient was successfully treated with intravenous diltiazem, and her symptoms resolved promptly. This report underscores the importance of considering cardiac arrhythmias in patients presenting with palpitations, anxiety, and chest discomfort, which may mimic psychiatric conditions even in the absence of abnormalities on initial cardiac workup at presentation. Timely and accurate diagnosis is crucial to avoid delays in appropriate treatment and prevent unnecessary psychiatric interventions. The case highlights the value of thorough cardiovascular evaluation, particularly in patients with recurrent or unexplained episodes of palpitations, as well as the role of advanced diagnostic techniques in improving diagnostic accuracy.  \nCategories: Cardiology, Health Policy, Internal Medicine  \nKeywords: anxiety disorders, arrhythmia diagnosis, atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia, cardiac arrhythmias, cardiac rhythm management, electrocardiogram, misdiagnosis, palpitations, panic attacks,  \nsupraventricular tachycardia  \nIntroduction  \nPalpitations are a common symptom that can be associated with a variety of conditions ranging from benign to life-threatening. They can also be caused due to stimulants and some medications [1] . They are defined as“noticeable pounding, fluttering or irregular beating of the heart” [2] . Misdiagnosis of cardiac arrhythmias as psychiatric disorders, such as panic attacks, can delay appropriate treatment. One study from 2019 found that only one out of 10 patients with palpitations who presented to the emergency department (ED) with palpitations were found to have an underlying heart arrhythmia. [2] This demonstrates the rarity of this case while highlighting a possible differential that should be considered for panic attacks that are refractory toanxiolytics. A diffe","cbCaimh4rIB0CTsG","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaimh4rIB0CTsG","pdf",7929936,11,"English","en",105,"# Abstract\n# Introduction\n# How to cite this article","[{\"question\":\"Why can supraventricular tachycardia be misdiagnosed as panic attacks?\",\"answer\":\"Palpitations and anxiety-related symptoms can overlap, making it difficult to differentiate cardiac arrhythmias from psychiatric disorders when presentations appear similar.\"},{\"question\":\"What evidence ultimately led to the correct diagnosis in this case?\",\"answer\":\"A sustained heart rate of 217 beats per minute prompted an ECG, which showed findings consistent with narrow complex tachycardia suggestive of SVT/AVNRT.\"},{\"question\":\"How was the patient treated once supraventricular tachycardia was identified?\",\"answer\":\"The patient was successfully treated with intravenous diltiazem, and her symptoms resolved promptly.\"}]","Misdiagnosis of Supraventricular Tachycardia as Panic Attacks - A Case Report Highlighting the Importance of Accurate Cardiovascular Evaluation | PDF",1790737900,18,{"code":4,"msg":82,"data":83},"ok",{"site_id":75,"language":74,"slug":84,"title":65,"keywords":85,"description":66,"schema_data":86,"social_meta":140,"head_meta":142,"extra_data":144,"updated_unix":145},"misdiagnosis-of-supraventricular-tachycardia-as-panic-attacks-a-case-report-highlighting-the-importance-of-accurate-cardiovascular-evaluation","",{"@graph":87,"@context":139},[88,102,122],{"@type":89,"itemListElement":90},"BreadcrumbList",[91,95,97,100],{"item":92,"name":93,"@type":94,"position":8},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":96,"name":9,"@type":94,"position":14},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/",{"item":98,"name":35,"@type":94,"position":99},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/healthcare/",3,{"item":101,"name":65,"@type":94,"position":19},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/misdiagnosis-of-supraventricular-tachycardia-as-panic-attacks-a-case-report-highlighting-the-importance-of-accurate-cardiovascular-evaluation/452930/",{"url":101,"name":65,"@type":103,"image":104,"author":109,"headline":65,"publisher":111,"fileFormat":114,"inLanguage":74,"description":66,"dateModified":115,"datePublished":116,"encodingFormat":114,"isAccessibleForFree":117,"interactionStatistic":118},"DigitalDocument",{"url":105,"@type":106,"width":107,"height":108},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/misdiagnosis-of-supraventricular-tachycardia-as-panic-attacks-a-case-report-highlighting-the-importance-of-accurate-cardiovascular-evaluation/452930.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":63,"@type":110},"Person",{"url":92,"name":112,"@type":113},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-30","2026-09-30",true,{"@type":119,"interactionType":120,"userInteractionCount":72},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":121},"ViewAction",{"@type":123,"mainEntity":124},"FAQPage",[125,131,135],{"name":126,"@type":127,"acceptedAnswer":128},"Why can supraventricular tachycardia be misdiagnosed as panic attacks?","Question",{"text":129,"@type":130},"Palpitations and anxiety-related symptoms can overlap, making it difficult to differentiate cardiac arrhythmias from psychiatric disorders when presentations appear similar.","Answer",{"name":132,"@type":127,"acceptedAnswer":133},"What evidence ultimately led to the correct diagnosis in this case?",{"text":134,"@type":130},"A sustained heart rate of 217 beats per minute prompted an ECG, which showed findings consistent with narrow complex tachycardia suggestive of SVT/AVNRT.",{"name":136,"@type":127,"acceptedAnswer":137},"How was the patient treated once supraventricular tachycardia was identified?",{"text":138,"@type":130},"The patient was successfully treated with intravenous diltiazem, and her symptoms resolved promptly.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":101,"og:type":141,"og:title":65,"og:site_name":112,"og:description":66},"article",{"robots":143,"canonical":101},"index,follow",{"doc_id":61,"site_id":75},1790763285]