Fetal supraventricular tachycardia diagnosed and treated at twenty-four weeks of gestation and after birth: a case report

Ital Heart J. 2004 Oct;5(10):777-80.

Abstract

Supraventricular tachycardia is the most common clinically significant fetal tachycardia. The diagnosis is usually made at routine sonographic workup during the second-third trimester of pregnancy. Treatment goals are cardioversion to sinus rhythm and reversal of cardiac dysfunction. We describe a case of fetal supraventricular tachycardia diagnosed at 24 weeks of gestation. The first-line treatment was oral maternal digoxin and sotalol. This therapy was not sufficient for complete control of the tachycardia. Hence, second-line treatment with digoxin and flecainide was started and successfully achieved conversion to sinus rhythm. No adverse maternal side effects were noted during the 14 weeks of therapy. A normal male infant was delivered at elective cesarean section performed for obstetric indications at 38 weeks of gestation. A persistent junctional reciprocating tachycardia with a ventriculo-atrial/atrioventricular ratio > 1 was diagnosed following delivery at transesophageal electrophysiological study. At the age of 8 months the child is on therapy with sotalol (4 mg/kg/day) and flecainide (3 mg/kg/day) and is in good clinical conditions.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Anti-Arrhythmia Agents / administration & dosage
  • Anti-Arrhythmia Agents / therapeutic use*
  • Digoxin / administration & dosage
  • Digoxin / therapeutic use
  • Female
  • Fetal Distress / diagnostic imaging*
  • Fetal Distress / drug therapy*
  • Flecainide / administration & dosage
  • Flecainide / therapeutic use
  • Gestational Age
  • Humans
  • Maternal-Fetal Exchange
  • Pregnancy
  • Pregnancy Trimester, Second
  • Pregnancy Trimester, Third
  • Sotalol / administration & dosage
  • Sotalol / therapeutic use
  • Tachycardia, Supraventricular / diagnostic imaging*
  • Tachycardia, Supraventricular / drug therapy*
  • Ultrasonography, Prenatal*

Substances

  • Anti-Arrhythmia Agents
  • Digoxin
  • Sotalol
  • Flecainide