Central venous catheter-induced atrial ectopic tachycardia with reverse alternating Wenckebach periods.
A centrally inserted venous catheter may cause atrial ectopic tachycardia. The association of atrial ectopic tachycardia with spontaneous reverse alternating Wenckebach periodicity has rarely been reported. We describe a 4-year-old boy with tetralogy of Fallot who developed atrial ectopic tachycardia with reverse alternating Wenckebach periods postoperatively after central venous catheter placement. All such episodes emerged from a 3:2 atrioventricular block, followed by runs of 2:1 atrioventricular block with progressive shortening of the conducted PR intervals. Normal sinus rhythm returned after the catheter was withdrawn to the superior vena cava. Reverse alternating Wenckebach periodicity may be a tachycardia-dependent physiologic phenomenon.
Department of Pediatrics, Cathay General Hospital, 360, Section 2, Nei-Hu Road, Taipei, Taiwan.
M H
MH
Lin
M L
ML
Young
N K
NK
Wang
C T
CT
Shen
D002405:Catheterization, Central Venous / Q000009:adverse effects*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004562:Electrocardiography; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D013612:Tachycardia, Ectopic Atrial / Q000209:etiology*