AV nodal re-entrant tachycardia (AVNRT) is a rapid heart rhythm that happens when there is more than one pathway for electrical conduction through the AV node.
The AV node is a part of the heart’s electrical system that acts like a gate to slow the electrical signal before it enters the lower chambers of the heart (ventricles). This delay gives the top chambers of the heart (atria) time to contract before the ventricles do.
In patients with AVNRT, there is an electrical loop in the area of the AV node which causes electrical impulses to re-enter areas it has already passed through, causing a faster heartbeat.
