WPW syndromeCertain signs of the disease occurring together in combination. and AV nodal re-entry tachycardiaRe-entry tachycardia is characterised by sudden onset and equally sudden disappearance of a very rapid but regular pulse of 140-220 beats per minute. This arises from an additional conduction pathway (or pathways) mistakenly created during the development of the heart. The excitation impulse “circles” back and forth between the atria and the ventricles, causing a series of particularly fast heartbeats. (AVNRT)
WPW syndrome (Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome) occurs due to a congenitalCongenital. additional small muscular connection between the atria and the main chambers of the heart. This additional connection allows a circular excitationThe heart muscle consists of two different types of muscle fibres. One type of fibre forms the stimulus-forming and stimulus-conducting system, the other the working muscles. The conduction system is responsible for the formation and conduction of excitation. In other words, it spontaneously and rhythmically forms tiny electrical currents that spread throughout the heart in a specific sequence. The working muscles absorb these currents and convert them into pumping movements. to occur in the heart in fits and starts, resulting in a sudden onset of regular palpitationsUnpleasant heartbeat. with heart rates of between 130-210 per minute. Typically, the first attacks of palpitations occur in adolescents or young adults.
In AV nodal re-entry tachycardiaHeart rate too fast for the age norm, at over 100 beats per minute. (AVNRT), there are also sudden regular palpitations, although this is due to an additional conduction pathway in the AV node itself, which probably only develops over time. Consequently, AVNRT episodes typically occur for the first time somewhat later, between the ages of 20 and 50. Both arrhythmias can be eliminated by catheter ablation with a success rate of 95 to 98 per cent, and in addition, these are also ablation procedures with a very low procedural risk. Consequently, catheter ablation is the treatment of choice for both WPW syndrome and AVNRT.
