Published in:
01-10-2018 | Disease Management
If necessary, use antiarrhythmic drugs to treat acute and chronic supraventricular tachycardia in infants
Published in: Drugs & Therapy Perspectives | Issue 10/2018
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Supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) is the most common arrhythmia in infants. Older children and adults with SVT are commonly managed with catheter ablation of the SVT substrate; however, such treatment is the last resort in infants because the risks of the procedure outweigh its benefits and most SVTs in infants resolve spontaneously in the first year of life. SVT in infants is generally managed with electrical cardioversion, vagal manoeuvres and antiarrhythmic drugs (e.g. adenosine, esmolol and procainamide as acute therapy, and digoxin and class Ic, II or III antiarrhythmics, most commonly propranolol, as chronic therapy).