Turk Kardiyol Dern Ars. 2017; 45(2): 189-196 | DOI: 10.5543/tkda.2016.78606

Management of tachyarrhythmia during pregnancy

Emily Ann Enderlin¹, Khaldia Taufiq Khaled², Luke Oke³, Mohammed Madmani⁴, Hakan Paydak^3
1College of Medicine, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, Arkansas, USA
²Department of Internal Medicine, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, Arkansas, USA
³Department of Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Lit
⁴Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, Arkansas, USA

Maternal tachyarrhythmia is a common complication during pregnancy due to hormonal changes that enhance pre-existing arrhythmias or induce new arrhythmias in the presence of congenital heart defects in pregnant females. Presence of tachyarrhythmia during pregnancy poses risk to the mother and fetus, calling for proper treatment with medications. Use of antiarrhythmic drugs in cases of maternal tachyarrhythmia must give due consideration of potential teratogenic side effects. Utilization of antiarrhythmic drugs during pregnancy has been well studied; some result in minimal fetal harm or none at all. New techniques, such as cardiac ablation, have also been implemented with minimal or no radiation exposure to the fetus or mother. Pregnant women with tachyarrhythmia have been successfully treated with little to no impact on the developing fetus as result of increasing experience with antiarrhythmic drugs and progress of new procedural techniques.

Keywords: Anti-arrhythmic agent, atrial tachycardia, pregnancy, premature atrial complex; premature ventricular complex; supraventricular tachycardia; tachyarrhythmia; ventricular tachycardia.

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