Hi,
I'm sorry to hear your wife had this episode of a fast
heart rate, I can understand that would be concerning. It is clear that your wife's heart had an abnormal rhythm that caused her heart to beat so fast, in her case I would suspect an abnormal rhythm called supra
ventricular tachycardia, which is an abnormal rhythm that originates in the top half of the heart.
This may be either from her temporarily having atrial
fibrillation, or another abnormal rhythm in which the electrical current that causes the heart to beat gets caught in a loop that makes the heart beat very fast (called a re-entrant tachycardia).
There are other causes too but those would be the most common. I would recommend she be evaluated by her doctor with an EKG, and then possibly wear a monitor to watch her rhythm for a day or possibly several weeks.
I doctor who specializes in hearth rhythms may also be able to do some tests to determine the cause of her episode, and often they can fix the pathways that the electrical currents use in order to prevent another episode from happening.
Heart rhythm problems can be complicated but hopefully this helps a little. If there is anything else you would like to ask please feel free. I hope your wife can get a diagnosis and she doesn't have another episode like this again.
Hope I have answered your query. Let me know if I can assist you further.
Regards,
Dr. Aaron Branch