ABSTRACT
Background: Atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia (AVNRT) stands as one of the most common forms of paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia (PSVT), encompassing a wide spectrum of clinical presentations and diagnostic challenges. The aim of this study was to evaluate the assessment of lead aVL (surface ECG) for confirming AVNRT. Methods: This was a prospective observational study and was conducted at the Department of Cardiology and Electrophysiology, National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD), Dhaka, Bangladesh during the period from February 2019 to January 2020. Results: In our study 41 patients (66.1%) had AVNRT and 21 patients (33.9%) had AVRT on the final evaluation. Total 33.9% of patients had aVL notch on ECG. Among patients who had AVNRT, 46.3% had an aVL notch and among patients who had AVRT, 9.5% had an aVL notch on ECG. The difference was statistically significant (p=0.004). Among 21 patients who had aVL notch on ECG, 6 (31.6%) male patients had AVNRT, 13 (64.8%) female patients had AVNRT, 1 (50%) male patients had AVRT and 1 (50%) female patient had AVRT. Conclusions: In conclusion, the interpretation of electrocardiographic criteria, including the aVL notch, plays a pivotal role in confirming the diagnosis of AVNRT and guiding therapeutic interventions.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To review the diagnosis, treatment, and perinatal outcome of fetal tachyarrhythmias. METHODS: We reviewed the medical records of pregnant women diagnosed with fetal tachyarrhythmia at Asan Medical Center from June 1997 to December 2004. Tachyarrhythmias were classified as either supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) or atrial flutter (AF), and the intrauterine management and long-term outcomes of the infants were analyzed. RESULTS: There were three cases of SVT and four cases of AF. Fetal hydrops was noted in 4 of 7 fetuses and there were no cardiac anomalies. All of them were treated in utero with antiarrhythmic agents including digoxin and flecainide. During antiarrhythmic therapy, sinus rhythm was achieved in 100% of them and the survival rate was 100%. Two infants diagnosed prenatally with SVT developed Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome after birth. One of them developed paroxysmal SVT but after adenosine treatment she needed no treatment. One fetus with AF was diagnosed with an atrial ectopic tachyarrhythmia postnatally which needed medication for one year and resulted in normal sinus rhythm. At the time of this study, all of them showed normal development without neurological morbidity. CONCLUSION: Fetal tachyarrhythmias diagnosed prenatally can be effectively treated with antiarrhythmic drugs in utero or postnatally even if they had hydropic feature. So they must be referred to a tertiary care center for appropriate counseling and management. We recommend that every SVT or AF should be treated in utero regardless of the presence of hydrops.