Frequency of Cardiac Arrhythmias in Children with Cardiological Consulting and Containing Electrocardiogram

BACKGROUND: Heart diseases are the leading causes of mortality and Congenital Heart Disease (CHD) is the most common birth defect reported worldwide. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the incidence of arrhythmias and CHD and the association between the two, among infants and children reported to our center. METHODS: This cross-sectional study included infants and children who were referred to Shahid Madani Hospital, Khorramabad. Electrocardiogram (ECG) was performed in these children to determine the type of arrhythmia and records were used to obtain demographic data and the data regarding CHD. RESULTS: Of 200 children enrolled in the study, 10 children had arrhythmias, 12 had tachycardia, 5 had bradycardia, and 31 had congenital disease. Among children with arrhythmias, 1 had atrial fibrillation, 4 patients had paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia, 1 person had right bundle branch block, 1 had ventricular tachycardia, 2 had premature ventricular contractions and 1 had junctional ectopic tachycardia. Of the 31 children with CHD, 9 patients were presented with small ventricular septal defect, 4 children had patent foramen ovale, 2 had pulmonary stenosis and 1 of the children had tetralogy of fallout, arterial and ventricular septal defects and transposition of greater arteries, respectively. CONCLUSION: We reported a positive correlation between the arrhythmias and CHD. A larger number of studies collecting focusing on different age groups are therefore required to verify our findings.