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Case fatality in children with supraventricular tachycardia in the United States

Jack C Salerno1, Michelle M Garrison, Cindy Larison

  • 1Department of Pediatrics, Seattle Children's Hospital, Seattle, Washington 98105, USA. jack.salerno@seattlechildrens.org

Pacing and Clinical Electrophysiology : PACE
|March 23, 2011
PubMed

Insights

The prognosis for supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) in children is generally good, but fatality increases with structural heart disease (SHD) or cardiomyopathy. Young infants with SVT also face higher risks.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Cardiology
  • Cardiac Electrophysiology
  • Clinical Outcomes Research

Background:

  • Supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) is common in children, with an assumed excellent prognosis.
  • Limited large-scale data exist on the fatality rate of pediatric SVT, particularly in those with comorbidities.
  • This study addresses the need for robust evidence on pediatric SVT outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To define the case fatality rate of supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) in hospitalized children.
  • To identify risk factors associated with increased mortality in pediatric SVT patients.
  • To evaluate the impact of structural heart disease (SHD) on SVT outcomes.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective analysis of an inpatient administrative database.
  • Inclusion of 1,755 patients under 25 years with SVT discharge diagnosis from 41 children's hospitals (2003-2008).
  • Examination of demographic data, comorbidities like SHD, and mortality.

Main Results:

  • Overall mortality for pediatric SVT was 4% (68 deaths).
  • Patients with structural heart disease (SHD) had significantly higher mortality (6% vs. 1% without SHD).
  • Increased fatality was observed in infants <1 month, patients with SHD, and those with cardiomyopathy.

Conclusions:

  • Pediatric SVT without structural heart disease (SHD) has a low fatality rate.
  • Mortality risk for SVT is elevated in very young infants and those with comorbid cardiovascular conditions.
  • Cardiomyopathy represents the highest risk factor for fatality in pediatric SVT patients, irrespective of SHD.
Abstract

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