Pediatr Cardiol 13:116-118, 1992
Pediatric Cardiology 9 Springer-VerlagNew York Inc. 1992
Supraventricular Tachyarrhythmias, C o n g e n i t a l Heart D i s e a s e , and S u d d e n Cardiac D e a t h Michael Silka, Jack Kron, and John McAnulty Division of Cardiology, Departments of Pediatrics and Medicine, The University Arrhythmia Service, The Oregon Health Sciences University, Oregon, USA
SUMMARY. The etiologies of sudden cardiac death following the surgical treatment of congenital heart defects remain uncertain. A young patient with prior repair of partial anomalous pulmonary venous return is presented, in whom brief episodes of a supraventricular tachyarrhythmia (rate 170/min) were documented to result in ventricular fibrillation. This unusual sequence may represent a basis for unexplained sudden cardiac death in other patients following atrial surgical procedures for the treatment of congenital heart disease. KEY WORDS: Ventricular fibrillation--Congenital heart disease--Sudden death--Supraventricular tachycardia
Sudden death represents a tragic and often unexpected event following the surgical treatment of congenital heart disease. In spite of the relative frequency of postoperative sudden cardiac death in young patients, the mechanism(s) in many patients remain speculative [1, 3]. Given the paucity of objective data, prospective identification of patients at risk and management protocols for young survivors of aborted sudden cardiac death have not been established. Supraventricular tachyarrhythmias are a common sequelae of the surgical treatment of congenital heart defects [9]. However, a causal relationship between postoperative supraventricular tachyarrhythmias and sudden cardiac death has been considered improbable, with the exception of atrial flutter and junctional ectopic tachycardia [2, 5]. In this report, documented episodes of ventricular fibrillation, directly preceded by a supraventricular tachyarrhythmia, are described in a young patient with prior surgical repair of a congenital heart defect. Of major concern was the brief duration (
Pediatric Cardiology 9 Springer-VerlagNew York Inc. 1992
Supraventricular Tachyarrhythmias, C o n g e n i t a l Heart D i s e a s e , and S u d d e n Cardiac D e a t h Michael Silka, Jack Kron, and John McAnulty Division of Cardiology, Departments of Pediatrics and Medicine, The University Arrhythmia Service, The Oregon Health Sciences University, Oregon, USA
SUMMARY. The etiologies of sudden cardiac death following the surgical treatment of congenital heart defects remain uncertain. A young patient with prior repair of partial anomalous pulmonary venous return is presented, in whom brief episodes of a supraventricular tachyarrhythmia (rate 170/min) were documented to result in ventricular fibrillation. This unusual sequence may represent a basis for unexplained sudden cardiac death in other patients following atrial surgical procedures for the treatment of congenital heart disease. KEY WORDS: Ventricular fibrillation--Congenital heart disease--Sudden death--Supraventricular tachycardia
Sudden death represents a tragic and often unexpected event following the surgical treatment of congenital heart disease. In spite of the relative frequency of postoperative sudden cardiac death in young patients, the mechanism(s) in many patients remain speculative [1, 3]. Given the paucity of objective data, prospective identification of patients at risk and management protocols for young survivors of aborted sudden cardiac death have not been established. Supraventricular tachyarrhythmias are a common sequelae of the surgical treatment of congenital heart defects [9]. However, a causal relationship between postoperative supraventricular tachyarrhythmias and sudden cardiac death has been considered improbable, with the exception of atrial flutter and junctional ectopic tachycardia [2, 5]. In this report, documented episodes of ventricular fibrillation, directly preceded by a supraventricular tachyarrhythmia, are described in a young patient with prior surgical repair of a congenital heart defect. Of major concern was the brief duration (
