Medical Management of Infants With Supraventricular Tachycardia: Results From a Registry and Review of the Literature

Outcomes in Infants with Supraventricular Tachycardia: Risk Factors for Readmission, Recurrence and Ablation

Supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) is the most common arrhythmia in infants. Once diagnosed, infants are admitted for antiarrhythmic therapy and discharged after observation. There are limited data on risk factors for readmission and readmission rates, while on medication. The objective of this study was to investigate risk factors for readmission and outcomes in infants diagnosed with SVT. This is a single-center retrospective study over a 10-year period of infants under 6 months of age with documented SVT. Infants with congenital heart disease requiring surgical or catheter intervention, gestational age less than 32 weeks or diagnosis of atrial flutter or fibrillation were excluded. The primary outcome was readmission within 31 days of hospital discharge. Long term need for ablation and eventual discontinuation of medications were assessed. Ninety patients were included. Beta blockers were the initial therapy in 66 and 28 required a medication change. Nineteen were readmitted within 31 days of discharge. The only clinical factor associated with early readmission was presence of ventricular pre-excitation (6/19 vs. 8/71, p = 0.03). Patients who were readmitted within 31 days had a longer length of treatment (12 [11.5, 22.0] vs. 10 [7.5, 12.0] months, p = 0.007) and were more likely to undergo ablation (4/19 vs. 2/71, p = 0.017). In this cohort of infants with SVT, readmission was common and ventricular pre-excitation was identified as a risk factor for readmission. Infants who were readmitted within 31 days of discharge had longer length of antiarrhythmic therapy and were more likely to undergo catheter ablation.

Evaluating antiarrhythmic drugs for managing infants with supraventricular tachycardia; a review

Supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) is the most prevalent arrhythmia observed in infants, impacting individuals with or without congenital cardiac dysfunction. Infantile-onset SVT typically manifests within the initial one to two months of life. A variety of anti-arrhythmic medications are employed to treat SVT in infants during their first year of life. Nevertheless, a consensus has yet to be reached on the most efficacious drug, and treatment approaches continue to vary considerably As SVT remains a frequent problem around the world, with different management approaches and no obvious optimal option, we conducted a systematic review of the new update of antiarrhythmic drugs for managing SVT in infants under one year old.