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Flecainide improves cardiac synchronization in an early infant with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome with left
Naofumi F Sumitomo1, Naoya Fukushima2, Masaru Miura3
1Department of Pediatrics, Keio University Hospital, Tokyo, Japan.
Insights
Flecainide effectively treated Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome (WPWS) with left ventricular dyssynchrony (LVD) in an infant. This pharmacological approach offers a safe alternative to catheter ablation for pediatric WPWS patients when body weight is insufficient.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Pediatric Electrophysiology
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Pharmacological resynchronization for Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome (WPWS) with left ventricular dyssynchrony (LVD) in children remains an area needing established therapies.
- A 3-month-old infant presented with supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) and subsequent diagnosis of ventricular pre-excitation and LVD.
Observation:
- Initial treatment with propranolol failed to prevent SVT recurrence.
- Flecainide was initiated due to insufficient body weight for catheter ablation.
- Increased flecainide dosage (50 mg/m²/day) resolved pre-excitation and improved LVD, correlating with serum flecainide levels.
Findings:
- Flecainide demonstrated efficacy in resolving pre-excitation and improving LVD in an infant with WPWS.
- The resolution of cardiac abnormalities was directly dependent on flecainide serum concentration.
Implications:
- Flecainide represents a potential safe and effective pharmacological resynchronization therapy for pediatric patients with LVD-WPWS.
- This approach is particularly valuable for infants and young children who are not candidates for catheter ablation due to body weight limitations.
Abstract:
Recently, cases of pharmacological resynchronization for Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome (WPWS) in children with left ventricular dyssynchrony (LVD) were reported, but an appropriate pharmacological therapy has not yet been established. A 3-month-old, previously healthy female patient was referred to our hospital due to supraventricular tachycardia (SVT). After resolution of the SVT, 12-lead electrocardiography (ECG) showed ventricular pre-excitation. Transthoracic echocardiography showed LVD with no findings of congenital heart disease or cardiomyopathy. To prevent SVT recurrence, oral propranolol administration was started, but the SVT recurred one month later. To prevent further recurrences, oral flecainide administration was started, as the patient's body weight was insufficient for catheter ablation to be performed safely. When the flecainide dosage was increased to 50 mg/m2/day, the pre-excitation resolved, and the LVD improved. Holter ECG showed that the resolution of pre-excitation depended on the serum concentration of flecainide. There are only few reports on pharmacological resynchronization in WPWS patients with LVD (LVD-WPWS). The present report is the first to examine the efficacy of flecainide in patients with recurrent SVT. Flecainide may be a safe and effective alternative resynchronization therapy for LVD-WPWS patients, especially for children in whom catheter ablation cannot be performed safely due to insufficient body weight. <Learning objective: While cases of pharmacological resynchronization for Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome (WPWS) in children with left ventricular dyssynchrony (LVD) have been reported, an appropriate pharmacological therapy has yet to be established. Flecainide may be a safe and effective alternative resynchronization therapy for WPWS with LVD, especially for children in whom catheter ablation cannot be performed safely due to insufficient body weight.>.
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