Ventricular tachycardias in children: contemporary approaches to diagnosis, monitoring, and treatment
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15574/SP.2025.7(151).7079Keywords:
life-threatening arrhythmias, ventricular tachyarrhythmias, children, diagnosis, treatmentAbstract
Heart rhythm disorders in children are characterized by disturbances in impulse generation or conduction, which may lead to both benign and life-threatening conditions.
Aim - to summarize current approaches to the early diagnosis and management of children with life-threatening arrhythmias (LTA), taking into account international recommendations and personal clinical experience, which should contribute to improving the quality of medical care in Ukraine.
The most common arrhythmia in childhood is tachycardia. LTA often manifest without previously diagnosed heart disease and require immediate diagnosis and risk stratification. The true incidence of ventricular arrhythmias in children remains unknown, and clinical manifestations vary significantly depending on age and type of arrhythmia. Timely detection of LTA is crucial to prevent the development of left ventricular dilation and dysfunction, which can be reversible with appropriate therapy. Given the wide range of clinical scenarios — from incidental findings during routine examinations to syncopal events with high risk — there is a need to standardize approaches to the diagnosis and management of ventricular tachyarrhythmias in the pediatric population. Based on the European Society of Cardiology (2022) recommendations, approved by the Association for European Paediatric and Congenital Cardiology, a national Clinical Guideline «Life-Threatening Arrhythmias in Children» and the corresponding Standard of Medical Care were developed and approved by the Ministry of Health of Ukraine in 2025 (Order of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine No. 1235 dated August 6, 2025).
Conclusions. Early diagnosis and risk stratification of Life-threatening arrhythmias (LTA) in children are key points for preventing the development of severe complications. The implementation of the national Standard and Clinical Guidelines (Order of the Ministry of Health No. 1235 of 06.08.2025) generalizes treatment approaches and significantly improves the quality of medical care for children with complex rhythm disorders.
The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest.
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