Emergency diagnosis and management of common pediatric tachyarrhythmia

Tachycardia is common in the pediatric age group. The most commonly seen arrhythmias in children are sinus tachycardia. However, supraventricular tachycardia is the most common tachyarrhythmia that necessitates treatment. Ventricular tachycardia is rare in healthy children but may be associated with sudden cardiac death.  The important risk factors that predispose children for arrhythmias include congenital heart disease or previous cardiac surgery. Although hemodynamic instability, electrolyte and acid-base imbalance and the use of vasoactive drugs also predispose children to various types of arrhythmias. Clinical presentation is dependent upon age .The most common symptoms include palpitations, chest pain, abdominal pain in children or irritability, lethargy and poor feeding in infants. Emergency management of common tachycardia depends on the patientchr('39')s clinical status. The purpose of this article is to provide a summary of diagnostic and acute management guidelines of the most common types of arrhythmias seen in children with structurally normal hearts.