Sustained ventricular tachycardia in children after repair of congenital heart disease

To investigate an association between surface electrocardiographic (ECG) pa rameters and sustained ventricular tachycardia (VT) in children after repai r of congenital heart disease (CHD), data were obtained and analyzed in thr ee groups (group I, 7 postoperative patients with episode of sustained VT ( 4 tetralogy of Fallot (TOF), 2 double outlet right ventricle (DORV), 1 trun cus arteriosus); group II, 14 children with postoperative TOF not associate d with VT; group III, 14 normal children). Mean age at the onset of sustain ed VT was 129+/-77 months (range 60-232); mean age at corrective surgery, 4 4+/-33 months (range 10-102); mean follow-up period after surgery, 84+/-74 months (range 20-185); the duration from repair to the onset of sustained V T, range 1-185 months. Compared to group II and III, group I showed longer QRS duration (group 1, 137+/-10 msec; group 11, 114+/-22 msec; group III, 6 5+/-12 msec) and shorter corrected J to T-max interval (group I, 209+/-24 m sec; group 11, 272+/-44 msec; group III, 249+/-18 msec). QT and corrected Q T, J to T-max interval, and their dispersions in group I and II are signifi cantly different from those of group III. In conclusion, QRS duration and c orrected J to Tmax interval could be helpful to predict ventricular tachyca rdia in postoperative CHD.