• Treatment of supraventricular tachycardia (SVT).
• Life-threatening arrhythmia unresponsive to medications.
• Younger children with arrhythmia refractory to antiarrhythmic medications.
• Older children with recurrent SVT.
• Older children with SVT associated with preexcitation.
• Treatment of ventricular tachycardia.
• Younger children with life-threatening ventricular tachycardia refractory to medications.
• Older children with recurrent ventricular tachycardia refractory to medications.
• Older children with recurrent ventricular tachycardia who are unable to tolerate medications due to side effects, or who choose to have procedure.
• Cardiac catheterization laboratory.
• Biplane fluoroscopy.
• Monitoring for continuous heart rate, blood pressure, oxygen saturation.
• Respiratory monitoring and support.
• Vascular access.
• Anesthesia.
• Resuscitation equipment, including medications and cardiac defibrillator.
• Electrode catheters, ablation catheters, energy delivery generator.
| • Risks are higher for small children (< 12–15 kg); lesion growth occurs in the immature heart. |
• Hemodynamically unstable arrhythmias.
• Bleeding.
• Infection.
• Vascular injury, including coronary artery damage.
• Pneumothorax.
• Cardiac perforation.
• Thromboembolism.
• Stroke.
• Radiation exposure.
• Cardiac valve injury.
• Conduction system injury, including complete heart block; may necessitate implantation of permanent pacemaker.
• Risk of injuring the normal conduction system is highest for right septal ablation sites.
• Cardiac arrest.
