’ s Practice ot cardioPulmonary medicine Management of

S upraventricular tachyarrhythmias are commonly encountered in clinical practice. Clinical consequences of these tachyarrhythmias range from insignificant to life-threatening. Management consists of acute termination of an episode of tachyarrhythmia and, in certain patients, is followed by chronic prophylaxis against future recurrence. Recent advances in the understanding of clinical cardiac electrophysiology’ has allowed the development of new pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic therapeutic options in both acute and chronic management of these tachyarrhythmias. Supraventricular tachyarrhythmias are characterized by a rapid heart rhythm of greater than 100 bpm and a site of origin at or above the level of the His bundle of the atrioventricular (AV) conduction system. Morphology of the QRS complex during a supraventricular tachyarrhythmia is identical to that seen during sinus rhythm, unless there is development of functional bundle branch block or anterograde conduction over an anomalous AV connection.