The Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome as an Aviation Risk

IN 1930, Wolff, Parkinson, and Vhite 1 described a syndrome characterized by an abnormal and distinctive type of electrocardiogram and an associated tendency for sudden attacks of supraventricular arrhythmias. There has been controversy regarding the priority of the description of the electrocardiographic pattern, and widely differing theories of the pathogenesis of the syndrome have been proposed.2 Regardless of these uncertainties, the Wolff-Parkinson-White (NV-P-NV) syndroime is a definite clinical entity and occurs regulaily in medical surveys of large populations. Although the alteration in excitation of the venitricular musculature that occurs in the NV-P-NV anomaly has not been shown to cause a significant hemodynamic effect of itself, the cardiac arrhythmias associated with the syndrome produce varying degrees of morbidity. It is also reported that the mortality rate of patients with this syndrome is increased when compared to the population at large. It is the purpose of this paper to discuss the prevalence of the W-P-W electrocardiographic anomaly, the prevalence and incidence of the complete syndrome,' the mortality rate of patients with the syndrome, and the morbidity produced by the cardiac arrhythmias. These statistical data are used in the formulation of a policy relative to the disposition of aviators and aviation candidates who are found to have the WV-P-WN anomaly and those who are symp-