Does elective external electric countershock terminate persistent supraventricular arrhythmias in patients with congenital heart disease whose arrhythmias are refractory to drug therapy?
External electric countershock is an effective method for terminating drug-refractory supraventricular arrhythmias in patients with congenital heart disease.
Persistent supraventricular arrhythmias of the flutter or fibrillation-flutter type have been terminated by elective external electric countershock in three patients after drug therapy had been unsuccessful. It is suggested that this technic is a relatively safe and effective treatment for supraventricular as well as ventricular arrhythmias when anti-arrhythmic drugs have proved ineffective.
Paul et al. (Sun,) studied this question.