Nonpharmacologic Management of Supraventricular Tachycardia

This paper reviews three recent large scale studies on the use of catheter ablation for elderly patients with supraventricular tachycardia. These patients underwent catheter ablation of the atrioventricular junction for control of atrial fibrillation, ablation of the slow atrioventricular nodal pathway for those with atrioventricular nodal, reentry tachycardia, and ablation of the accessary pathway for those with atrioventricular reentry tachycardia. There was a higher incidence of atrioventricular junctional ablation and lesser incidence of junctional tachycardia compared to other series involving younger individuals. There was no significant difference in the incidence of successful procedures comparing the elderly with younger patients. In addition, there was no significant difference in the incidence of adverse effects between the two groups. In summary, catheter ablation appears to be safe and effective for elderly patients and the procedure should not be omitted solely on the basis of patient age. (c) 2000 by CVRR, Inc.