Re-entrant supraventricular tachycardia in infancy: current role of prophylactic digoxin treatment.
Re-entrant supraventricular tachycardia is the most common cardiac arrhythmia in infancy. Pharmacological prevention of recurrencies is a standard recommendation for infants less than 1 year of age. In view of the often benign spontaneous clinical course of the disease, the risk-benefit analysis of any antiarrhythmic agent given is important. It was the aim of this retrospective study, to assess the value of oral long-term digoxin given to paediatric patients with supraventricular tachycardia with onset in the first 4 months of life. Twenty-six newborns and infants fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Median age at first presentation of the patients was 7 days. Eight patients (31%) had structural heart disease, 9 patients had a pre-excitation syndrome, and the other 17 children had a concealed accessory atrioventricular pathway. Long-term prophylaxis with oral digoxin was considered successful in 17 children (65%). In 2 patients therapy with digoxin was considered partially effective and in 7 patients (27%) failure of digoxin to improve symptoms led to the introduction of other anti-arrhythmic agents. Serum digoxin levels were no different in the patients with successful therapy as compared to those with treatment failure. No side-effects due to digoxin were noted in all the patients treated. After a mean followup of 54 months (12-130 months), 19 children (73%) were free of recurrencies and on no medication, 5 children were free of recurrencies but had anti-arrhythmic therapy. Only 2 patients, both on anti-arrhythmic therapy, were still suffering from tachycardia.


CONCLUSIONS
Digoxin remains an effective treatment option in infants with supraventricular tachycardia and it helped to avoid the long-term use of other anti-arrhythmic drugs with potentially more serious side-effects (pro-arrhythmia) in a considerable proportion of infants treated.
Pfammatter
J P
JP
Paediatric Cardiology, Children's Hospital, Freiburgstrasse, Berne, Switzerland.
Stocker
F P
FP
D000889:Anti-Arrhythmia Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004077:Digoxin / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D006330:Heart Defects, Congenital / Q000150:complications; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D012008:Recurrence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013611:Tachycardia, Atrioventricular Nodal Reentry / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000517:prevention & control*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014927:Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome / Q000150:complications
D000889:Anti-Arrhythmia Agents; D004077:Digoxin