Summary

Wide QRS-complex tachycardia following administration of adenosine

Velilla Moliner J, Salazar González JJ, Asso Abadía A, Giménez Valverde A, Marquina Lacueva MI, Placer Peralta LV

Affiliation of the authors

Emergency Department. Cardiology Department. Unit of Electrophysiology and Arrhythmias. Hospital Miguel Servet de Zaragoza, Spain. Mobile Emergency Unit 061 Aragón, Spain.

DOI

Quote

Velilla Moliner J, Salazar González JJ, Asso Abadía A, Giménez Valverde A, Marquina Lacueva MI, Placer Peralta LV. Wide QRS-complex tachycardia following administration of adenosine. Emergencias. 2008;20:359-62

Summary

Regular tachycardia with a narrow QRS complex is a common presenting complaint in

emergency departments. The differential diagnosis includes atrioventricular reentrant

tachycardia (intranodal or accessory pathway-mediated) and atrial tachycardia (atrial

flutter). These types of tachycardia are commonly treated using vagal manoenvures and

adenosine. We describe a patient with a history of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation receiving

regular treatment with flecainide who presented with a regular narrow QRS-complex

tachycardia (205 beats/min). After administration of adenosine the heart rate slowed

briefly, followed by regular wide QRS-complex tachycardia at the same rate as before

and apparently ventricular in origin. The patient was in class 1C atrial flutter with 1:1

atrioventricular conduction. Severe conduction disturbance due to flecainide treatment

was intermittently exacerbated by the adenosine-induced atrioventricular block.

 

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