Health Dictionary
Reliable, easy-to-read patient information on common medical conditions — written in plain language, free of jargon, and grounded in current evidence. Browse the most frequent diagnoses, understand what they mean for everyday life, and learn which steps and questions help you have a focused conversation with your doctor.
Wide complex tachycardia natural history, complications and prognosis
Introduction
Overview
Overview
Wide complex tachycardia due to ventricular tachycardia can cause life-threatening or fatal hemodynamic compromise or it can degenerate into a life-threatening rhythm called ventricular fibrillation. In general, supraventricular tachycardia with aberrancy is generally better tolerated and is not necessarily a medical emergency. An exception is if the the wide complex tachycardia is due to atrial fibrillation conducting down a bypass track such as is seen in Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome (WPW) in which case the rhythm can degenerate into life-threatening ventricular fibrillation.
References
References
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]