The tachyarrhythmic cardiomyopathy--a rare entity in childhood

Persistent disturbances of rhythm with high heart rate may lead to reversible depression of left ventricular function and biventricular failure. This phenomenon may appear also in children with incessant supraventricular tachycardia. Because in most cases these patients are long time asymptomatic the diagnosis of these arrhythmias is very difficult and frequently is belated. In case of correct treatment of the arrhythmia, the cardiac function improves rapidly.

To present a number of cases of incessant supraventricular tachycardia in children, which has led to tachyarrhythmic cardiomyopathy and heart failure.

A number of six patients (pts.), aged between 3 years 10 m - 16 y, hospitalized between January 1st, 2001 - January 1st , 2004 were taken in study. All patients had long crisis of supraventricular tachycardia with incessant character. A clinical exam, an ECG, a chest X-ray film and an echocardiography were made to all patients. An electrophysiologic study was made in two cases. The emergency therapy was the drug therapy.

At the moment of hospitalization all patients had a depression of the contractile function of the myocardium. After the control of the arrhythmia the ejection fraction recovered in a period between 3 months and one year.

The disturbances of rhythm may induce a depression of the contractile function of the myocardium, which is reversible in many cases. The correct antiarrhythmic treatment led to the improvement of the heart failure in this case.