[Verapamil sensitive ventricular tachycardia with myocardial failure in a 2-year-old child]

Ventricular arrhythmias can both result from and cause myocardial dysfunction. We report a case of a two-year-old girl with ventricular tachycardia showing signs of heart failure consisting with a tachycardiomyopathy. The therapy with class I and class III antiarrhythmic drugs did not improve the cardiac situation significantly. The cardiologic investigations were consistent with the verapamil-sensitive ventricular tachycardia in young adults. The treatment with verapamil led to a normal rhythm and function of the heart.

Verapamil-type calcium channel blockers can also be used in children for the treatment of ventricular tachycardias if the corresponding investigations show characteristic findings.