HWN Suggests

Ablation and the Road to recovery

It has been some 8 months since my diagnosis of Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome... A lot has happened in this time, which have put a temporary hold on a few activities...

Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome is a common heart condition which affects 1 in 1000 patients. It is congenital and means that sufferers have an additional electrical pathway in the heart which can cause palpitations and erratic heartbeats.

Following my diagnosis, a daily dose of 2.5 mg Bisoprolol was prescribed to slow my heart rate down.

This was to prevent any further episodes of palpitations. I suffered from overwhelming tiredness while taking these. I most often felt the effects coming home…

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Featured

 Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome – Part 1

Described in 1930 by Wolff, Parkinson, and White as an ECG pattern found in young, otherwise healthy adults who experienced bouts of atrial fibrillation and atrial tachycardia.

Articles of Interest

Current strategy for treatment of patients with Wolff–Parkinson–White syndrome...

The aims of this survey was to provide insight into treatment activity, the strategy of treatment, and risk stratification of patients with asymptomatic and symptomatic ventricular pre-excitation across Europe. Fifty-eight centres, members of the European Heart Rhythm Association EP research network, covering 20 countries answered the survey questions.

Is It Time to Rethink Our Approach to Asymptomatic WPW?

In patients with symptomatic Wolff-Parkinson-White (WPW) syndrome, treatment strategies are relatively defined with curative catheter ablation as the most common recommended approach. The management of asymptomatic patients is more controversial.

Patient Stories

Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome (WPW) patient stories.

Wolff Parkinson White Syndrome: Diagnosis and Treatment

The term Wolff-Parkinson-White (WPW) syndrome is used to refer to the combination of supraventricular arrhythmias and an electrocardiographic pattern of preexcitation. This syndrome was first described in 1930 in an article by Louis Wolff, Sir John Parkinson, and Paul Dudley White.

Resources

Wolff Parkinson White Type A

The PR interval is short (0.12 seconds). There is a delta wave present in all leads but this is particularly well seen in leads I, II, and V1-V6. Total QRS duration is prolonged (0.14 seconds). There is a tall R wave in the right sided precordial leads and non-specific ST segment/T wave changes accompany this.

Geeky Medics

In Wolff-Parkinson-White, an accessory pathway leads to stimulation of the ventricles. The accessory pathway enables electrical conduction to bypass the AV node and stimulate the proximal ventricles prematurely (pre-excitation). This, in addition to normal electrical conduction through the AV node, leads to ‘double excitation’ of the ventricles.

Pre-excitation syndromes

Wolff-Parkinson-White (WPW) Syndrome is a combination of the presence of a congenital accessory pathway and episodes of tachyarrhythmia.

SADS Foundation

Treatment can include daily medications or cardiac ablation techniques. Patients with symptomatic SVTs or patients identified with high-risk AP profiles during electrophysiological testing could be considered for ablation procedures.

Medical Students

Wolff-Parkinson-White (WPW) syndrome, an extra electrical pathway between your heart's upper and lower chambers causes a rapid heartbeat. The extra pathway is present at birth and fairly rare. The episodes of fast heartbeats usually aren't life-threatening, but serious heart problems can occur. Treatment can stop or prevent episodes of fast heartbeats. A catheter-based procedure (ablation) can permanently correct the heart rhythm problems. Most people with an extra electrical pathway experience no fast heartbeat.

NHS

In many cases, episodes of abnormal heart activity associated with WPW syndrome are harmless, don't last long, and settle down on their own without treatment.

NORD

The symptoms associated with WPW syndrome vary greatly from case to case. Some individuals may not have any abnormal heartbeats or associated symptoms (asymptomatic). Although the disorder is present at birth (congenital), symptoms may not become apparent until adolescent or early adulthood.

UpToDate

The WPW pattern can be detected by an ECG, even while the patient is in a normal rhythm. Conduction through the accessory pathway produces a characteristic ECG pattern. A classic finding is a short PR interval (the time for conduction between atria and ventricles) and a delta wave, which reflects early conduction (preexcitation) to the ventricles through the accessory pathway.