Paroxysmal Atrial Tachycardia

Paroxysmal Atrial Tachycardia

Rate	Atrial 160-250/min: may conduct to ventricles 1:1, or 2:1, 3:1, 4:1 into the presence of a block.
P wave	Morphology usually varies from sinus
QRS	Normal (unless associated with aberrant ventricular conduction).
Conduction	P-R interval depends on the status of AV conduction tissue and atrial rate: may be normal, abnormal, or not measurable.

PAT also known as Paroxysmal Supraventricular Tachycardia (PSVT) may occur in the normal as well as diseased heart.

It is a common complication of Wolfe-Parkinson-White syndrome. For more on WPW, click here.

This rhythm is often transient and usually requires no treatment.

However, it can usually be terminated with vagal maneuvers.

Digoxin, antiarrhythmics, adenosine and cardioversion may be used.

Frequent symptomatic episodes may require surgical intervention. When an accessory conduction pathway can be demonstrated, interventional surgery to ablate the accessory conduction pathway can be curative. Click here for a more complete description of the PSVT mechanism.