The Mechanism of Supraventricular Tachycardia

In six successive patients, none of whom had the Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, recurrent episodes of paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) were analyzed to determine the mechanism by which this arrhythmia is initiated and sustained. In each patient, simultaneous intracavitary atrial electrograms and surface electrocardiograms were recorded during the onset of numerous spontaneous episodes of SVT. Atrial premature depolarizations (APD) produced by programmed stimulation sequences were used to measure atrioventricular refractory periods and to produce atrial echoes and episodes of SVT. Stimulated APDs introduced during sustained episodes of SVT either altered its behavior or terminated it. The electrophysiologic behavior of SVT in these patients strongly suggests that the mechanism responsible for paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia is atrial reentry utilizing the A-V conducting system.