Child with idiopathic ventricular tachycardia of prolonged duration

Ventricular tachycardia is a dangerous dysrhythmia most commonly encountered in adult patients with heart disease. It is uncommon for a previously healthy child to present to the emergency department with hemodynamically stable ventricular tachycardia. The diagnosis and management of this dysrhythmia may pose a significant challenge to the emergency physician. We present the case of a previously healthy child with a structurally normal heart who had ventricular tachycardia for a prolonged period. Common causes of childhood tachycardia and options for treatment of stable and unstable patients are discussed.