Contributor: Travis Barlock, MD

Educational Pearls:

Pharmacotherapy for SVT includes drugs that block the AV node, such as adenosine

If the EKG is polymorphic, with QRS complexes displaying changing morphologies, it is unsafe to administer adenosine

References

Ganz, Leonard I., and Peter L. Friedman. “Supraventricular Tachycardia.” New England Journal of Medicine, vol. 332, no. 3, 19 Jan. 1995, pp. 162–173, https://doi.org/10.1056/nejm199501193320307.
Smith JR, Goldberger JJ, Kadish AH. Adenosine induced polymorphic ventricular tachycardia in adults without structural heart disease. Pacing Clin Electrophysiol. 1997;20(3 Pt 1):743-745. doi:10.1111/j.1540-8159.1997.tb03897.x
Viskin, Sami, et al. “Polymorphic Ventricular Tachycardia: Terminology, Mechanism, Diagnosis, and Emergency Therapy.” Circulation, vol. 144, no. 10, 7 Sept. 2021, pp. 823–839, https://doi.org/10.1161/circulationaha.121.055783.

Summarized by Meg Joyce, MS1 | Edited by Meg Joyce & Jorge Chalit, OMS3

Episode 919: EKG Criteria for Adenosine

Emergency Medical Minute