prevention of tachycardia
Last reviewed 01/2018
Tachycardia following bradycardia:
- slow cardiac rhythms may predispose to development of escape rhythms and tachyarrhythmias (via changes such as prolongation of refractoriness, dispersion of refractoriness, early after depolarizations etc.). Thus complete heart block may be complicated by conditions such as ventricular tachycardia (including torsades de pointes), and atrial tachycardia with atrial fibrillation (tachycardia-bradycardia syndrome).
- if it can be demonstrated that the tachycardia is preceded by bradycardia then implantation of a pacemaker may reduce these tachyarrhythmias.