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Wide-Complex Tachycardia in a Neonate
Khalifah A Aldawsari1, Kelsey Wilson1, Johannes C von Alvensleben1
1Department of Pediatrics, Section of Cardiology, University of Colorado, Aurora, Colorado, USA.
Case Summary:
A 7-day-old previously healthy infant boy born at 36 6/7 weeks gestation was found in a routine well-child visit to have a heart rate of 208 beats/min. Electrocardiogram demonstrated a wide-complex tachycardia morphology while maintaining normal blood pressure and adequate perfusion.
Take-Home Messages:
Wide-complex tachycardia in neonates is uncommon, with supraventricular tachycardia and aberrant conduction being the most frequent etiology. In the absence of congenital heart disease, a superior axis with right bundle branch block morphology on electrocardiogram is suggestive of fascicular ventricular tachycardia, for which verapamil is the preferred therapy.
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