Non-fluoroscopic radiofrequency ablation of left atrial appendage tachycardia during early pregnancy

Abstract Management of symptomatic atrial tachycardia (AT) during pregnancy seems challenging, especially those originating from left atrial appendage (LAA), which easily tend to be incessant and mediate cardiomyopathy. It's contradictory between therapy and pregnancy. In this study, we report a case of a woman who presented with persistent AT, which lead to heart failure, during early pregnancy. She underwent successful catheter ablation using CartoSound and electroanatomic mapping without fluoroscopy. An electrophysiology (EP) study confirmed a focal LAA tachycardia. Soon after, left ventricular function of her heart normalized, and the patient successfully delivered a healthy child.

Cardiomiopatía inducida por taquicardia en niños y adolescentes / Tachycardia-induced cardiomyopathy in children and adolescents

Introducción. La cardiomiopatía dilatada idiopática es la forma más común de cardiomiopatía en niños; sin embargo, ocasionalmente son identificadas causas potencialmente reversibles. Entre estas existe un grupo de pacientes con manifestaciones de insuficiencia cardiaca y taquicardia persistente que representan una forma de cardiomiopatía no familiar adquirida conocida como cardiomiopatía inducida por taquicardia o taquicardiomiopatía, que es reversible con el tratamiento efectivo de la taquicardia. Estos pacientes pueden ser mal diagnosticados y tratados de forma inapropiada. El diagnóstico frecuentemente es tardío, por lo que debe sospecharse en pacientes con insuficiencia cardiaca y taquicardia persistente sin causa aparente. Casos clínicos. Se describen seis casos de pacientes pediátricos de 6 a 16 años de edad (media 12 ± 4 años) que se presentaron con manifestaciones clínicas de insuficiencia cardiaca. Tuvieron seguimiento por una forma de cardiomiopatía dilatada en los que se documentaron diferentes mecanismos de taquiarritmia persistente como la causa. El tratamiento apropiado -mediante ablación con catéter- condujo a la recuperación de la función ventricular. Conclusiones. Es importante el reconocimiento de la cardiomiopatía inducida por taquiarritmia en pediatría. También es necesario un diagnóstico oportuno así como un tratamiento eficaz, ya que la cardiomiopatía inducida por taquicardia es una causa reversible de insuficiencia cardiaca.

Background. Idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy is the most common form of cardiomyopathy in children; however, potentially reversible causes may occasionally be identified. Among these a group of patients with symptoms of congestive heart failure and persistent tachycardia representing a form of nonfamilial acquired cardiomyopathy known as tachycardia-induced cardiomyopathy or tachycardiomyopathy. This is a reversible condition with effective treatment of tachycardia. These patients may be misdiagnosed, potentially leading to inappropriate treatment. Diagnosis is often late and always should be suspected in patients with congestive heart failure and unexplained persistent tachycardia. Case reports. We describe six pediatric patients (mean age 12 ±4 years old, range 6-16 years). Patients presented with clinical manifestations of heart failure followed by dilated cardiomyopathy. Different mechanisms of persistent tachycardia were documented as the cause and total recovery was achieved of ventricular function after successful treatment of tachycardia by catheter ablation. Conclusions. The recognition of tachyarrhythmia-induced cardiomyopathy in pediatric patients is important. Opportune diagnosis and effective treatment are necessary because tachycardia-induced cardiomyopathy is a reversible cause of heart failure.