Supraventricular tachycardia causing heart failure.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) causing heart failure is an important cause of tachycardia-induced cardiomyopathy.

RECENT FINDINGS: Advances in anti-arrhythmic drugs to achieve either rate or rhythm control, curative ablative therapy directed at the underlying tachycardia mechanism to restore sinus rhythm, and atrioventricular junction ablation with permanent pacemaker placement for better rate control have improved the outcome of SVT management and subsequently improved the heart failure symptomatology and in some cases reversed remodeling of the cardiac dysfunction.

SUMMARY: The aim of this review is to provide the reader with clinical presentation as well as the common SVTs causing heart failure, pathophysiology of SVT causing heart failure, evaluation and management of SVT causing heart failure, and prognosis of SVT causing heart failure.