Comparison of the ages of tachycardia onset in patients with atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia and accessory pathway—mediated tachycardia

2015 ACC/AHA/HRS Guideline for the Management of Adult Patients With Supraventricular Tachycardia: Executive Summary

“…SVT symptom onset often begins in adulthood; in one study in adults, the mean age of symptom onset was 32 ± 18 years of age for AVNRT, versus 23 ± 14 years of age for AVRT (17). In contrast, in a study conducted in pediatric populations, the mean ages of symptom onset of AVRT and AVNRT were 8 and 11 years, respectively (18).…”

Long-term outcome of patients with atrioventricular node reentrant tachycardia

“…Our current understanding of AVNRT physiopathology suggests that the arrhythmia is due to reentry by means of an anterior and a posterior input into the AV node, thereby creating the so-called dual AV nodal pathways commonly considered the basis for the development of AVNRT [1,4]. However, two inputs into the AV node exist in all subjects [6] and the presence of the tachycardia is probably dependent on the relative differences in the electrophysiological properties of these two inputs [7]. It is conceivable that over time the electrophysiological characteristics of these inputs undergo some change, leading both to the onset and to the disappearance of the arrhythmia.…”

“…It is conceivable that over time the electrophysiological characteristics of these inputs undergo some change, leading both to the onset and to the disappearance of the arrhythmia. Indeed, the finding that AVNRT generally occurs in adulthood, the mean age of onset of symptoms being over 30 years [7,8], has prompted many authors to regard it as a developmental disease. Furthermore, some authors have recently demonstrated that the incidence of dual AV node pathways in subjects without AVNRT decreases with ageing [9], and others [10] have reported critical changes in retrograde fast pathway conduction in some patients with AVNRT in whom the tachycardia spontaneously disappeared over time.…”

Outcomes in Women Undergoing Electrophysiological Procedures

“…3,10 Radiofrequency catheter ablation has been shown to be equally safe and effective in both genders, although females are typically under-referred to catheter ablation of SVTs. 5,[11][12][13][14] In a large cohort of 894 patients undergoing catheter ablation of re-entrant SVTs, Dagres et al reported no gender differences in safety and efficacy of catheter ablation, although females presented to catheter ablation later than males (185 ± 143 versus 157 ± 144 months after onset of symptoms, p<0.001), and after being treated with more antiarrhythmic drugs (1.6 ± 1.2 versus 1.3 ± 1.1, p<0.001). Notably, females were also more symptomatic and with a higher number of SVT episodes per month (p<0.001).…”