[Electrophysiological diagnosis and surgical treatment of supraventricular tachycardia].

In 1981-1988, 515 operations were made in patients with supraventricular tachycardias (SVT) refractory to preventive antiarrhythmic therapy at the A. N. Bakulev Institute of Cardiovascular Surgery, USSR Academy of Medical Sciences. Nodal tachycardias were observed in 51 (10%) patients, ectopic SVT were found in 32 (6%), atrial fibrillation and flutter were seen in 140 (27%), and preexcitation syndromes were present in 292 (57%). The current surgical therapy of SVT returns to socially active lifestyle, abolishes tachycardias and eliminates sudden death in 97% of patients with parietal accessory pathways and atrial fibrillation. Transvenous fulguration is the method of choice in artificially inducing atriovetricular block (97% positive outcomes), in radically abolishing nodal tachycardias (100%), and Type I idiopathic atrial flutter (88%).