Central venous catheter-induced atrial ectopic tachycardia with reverse alternating Wenckebach periods

A centrally inserted venous catheter may cause atrial ectopic tachycardia. The association of atrial ectopic tachycardia with spontaneous reverse alternating Wenckebach periodicity has rarely been reported. We describe a 4-year-old boy with tetralogy of Fallot who developed atrial ectopic tachycardia with reverse alternating Wenckebach periods postoperatively after central venous catheter placement. All such episodes emerged from a 3:2 atrioventricular block, followed by runs of 2:1 atrioventricular block with progressive shortening of the conducted PR intervals. Normal sinus rhythm returned after the catheter was withdrawn to the superior vena cava. Reverse alternating Wenckebach periodicity may be a tachycardia-dependent physiologic phenomenon.