Reversible cardiomyopathy-tachycardiomyopathy in children

Abstract

Tachycardia-induced cardiomyopathy (tachycardiomyopathy) is defined by the presence of a sustained tachycardia that results in left ventricular systolic dysfunction. Restoration of cardiac function is dependent on the control of tachyarrhythmias. We report a series including ten children with tachycardia-induced cardiomyopathy with different etiologies. The medical records of patients with tachycardiomyopathy who were managed in a Pediatric Cardiology Clinic between the years of 2014-2017 were reviewed retrospectively. Ten children (3 female, 7 male) were diagnosed with tachycardiomyopathy. The median age of the patients was 12 years (range: 4–15.8). Five had atrial tachycardia, two had ventricular tachycardia, the others had Mahaim fiber tachycardia, permanent junctional reciprocating tachycardia and atrioventricular reentrant tachycardia. Seven patients had catheter ablation and three patients who had previous heart surgery were treated with antiarrhythmic drugs. Median ejection fraction was 33% (range: 10-48), median left ventricle end-diastolic diameter was 55 mm (range: 30-78). All showed complete recovery with median ejection fraction 60% (range: 55-78). Two patient with severe heart failure required extracorporeal membrane oxygenation support, one of them had ventricular assist device support but the device was removed after successful ablation. After two years this patient required permanent pacemaker implantation due to complete atrioventricular block. Tachycardia-induced cardiomyopathy is a rare and treatable cause of heart failure. Early recognition is critical, aggressive treatment aimed at controlling the arrhythmia results in symptom resolution and recovery of ventricular function.