Repetitive supraventricular tachycardia: clinical manifestations and response to therapy with amiodarone

Repetitive supraventricular tachycardia is an uncommon arrhythmia which usually occurs in patients free of structural heart disease. It is characterized by incessant short salvos of supraventricular tachycardia separated by only one or two normal sinus beats. Therapy with conventional antiarrhythmic drugs is usually ineffective. This report describes three patients with repetitive supraventricular tachycardia in whom evidence for associated sinus node dysfunction was observed. Amiodarone therapy, with ventricular pacing in two patients, has provided effective control of this arrhythmia in all three patients.