Factors Associated With the Occurrence and Treatment of Supraventricular Tachycardia in a Pediatric Congenital Heart Disease Cohort

In patients with congenital heart disease (CHD), the association between supraventricular tachycardia (SVT), type of pathophysiology, and therapeutic interventions in a population-based cohort warrants further examination. A retrospective, longitudinal 15-year data set (1996–2010) was analyzed. Inclusion criteria included age ≤17 years, enrolled in South Carolina State Medicaid, and diagnosed as having one or more CHDs as well as SVT. SVT was diagnosed in 6.5 % of CHD patients (N = 1,169) during the 15-year epoch investigated. SVT was less likely to occur in African-American (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.76) or male patients (HR = 0.88), but it was significantly more likely to occur in patients age ≤12 months or in adolescents ≥13 years in those undergoing multiple surgeries/medical interventions for their CHD (HR = 1.14), those receiving antiarrhythmic/diuretic/preload-/afterload-reducing medications (HR = 5.46), and those with severe/cyanotic CHDs (HR = 1.52) or chromosomal abnormalities (HR = 1.64). Children who had an atrial septal defect secundum (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 3.03) and those treated with diuretic or antiarrhythmic medication (aOR = 1.80) were significantly more likely to undergo SVT ablation, whereas those with late-onset pulmonary hypertension (ages 6–12 years old) were significantly less likely to undergo SVT ablation. SVT recurred in only 14 of 166 patients who underwent SVT ablation. Multiple medical interventions at an early age may increase the risk of SVT occurrence in young CHD patients regardless of the severity/complexity of the CHD.