Incidence and clinical significance of inducible atrial tachycardia in patients with atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia

Introduction: The purpose of this prospective study was to determine the prevalence and clinical significance of inducible atrial tachycardia in patients undergoing slow pathway ablation for AV nodal reentrant tachycardia who did not have clinically documented episodes of atrial tachycardia. Methods and Results: Twenty-seven (15%) of 176 consecutive patients who underwent slow pathway ablation for AV nodal reentrant tachycardia were found to have inducible atrial tachycardia with a mean cycle length of 351 ± 95 msec. The atrial tachycardia was sustained in 7 (26%) of 27 patients and was isoproterenol dependent in 20 patients (74%). The atrial tachycardia was not ablated or treated with medications, and the patients were followed for 9.7 ± 5.8 months. Six (22%) of the 27 patients experienced recurrent palpitations during follow-up. In one patient each, the palpitations were found to be due to sustained atrial tachycardia, nonsustained atrial tachycardia, recurrence of AV nodal reentrant tachycardia, paroxysmal atrial fibrillation, sinus tachycardia, and frequent atrial premature depolarizations. Thus, only 2 (7%) of 27 patients with inducible atrial tachycardia later developed symptoms attributable to atrial tachycardia. Conclusion: Atrial tachycardia may be induced by atrial pacing in 15% of patients with AV nodal reentrant tachycardia. Because the vast majority of patients do not experience symptomatic atrial tachycardia during follow-up, treatment for atrial tachycardia should be deferred and limited to the occasional patient who later develops symptomatic atrial tachycardia.