Supraventricular tachycardia mechanisms and their age distribution in pediatric patients

Jae Kon Ko, Barbara J. Deal, Janette F. Strasburger, D. Woodrow Benson*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

354 Scopus citations

Abstract

To better define the natural history of supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) in young patients, age distribution of SVT mechanisms was examined in 137 infants, children and adolescents. Patients with a history of cardiac surgery or neuromuscular diseases were excluded. An electrophysiologic study was performed in each patient: transesophageal (110 patients) or transvenous (14 patients) or both (13 patients). Mechanisms were classified as SVT using accessory atrioventricular (AV) connection (SVT using accessory connection, including orthodromic and antidromic reciprocating tachycardia), primary atrial tachycardia (including chaotic, automatic and reentrant atrial tachycardia), and tachycardia due to reentry within the AV node. SVT using accessory connection occurred in 100 of 137 patients (73%) and was the most prevalent mechanism. Primary atrial tachycardia and reentry within the AV node were present in 19 of 137 (14%) and 18 of 137 (13%) patients, respectively. Using a multinomial logit model, relative probabilities for tachycardia mechanisms for 5 age groups - prenatal, <1, 1 to 5, 6 to 10 and >10 years - were determined. Primary atrial tachycardia (11 to 16%) and SVT using accessory connection (58 to 84%) appeared throughout infancy, childhood and adolescence. On the other hand, tachycardia due to reentry within the AV node (0 to 31%) rarely appeared before age 2 years. Mechanisms of SVT appear to have age-dependent distributions. SVT using accessory connection is the most common mechanism in young patients. We speculate that the propensity to tachycardia due to reentry within the AV node occurs during postnatal development.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)1028-1032
Number of pages5
JournalThe American journal of cardiology
Volume69
Issue number12
DOIs
StatePublished - Apr 15 1992

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine

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