Junctional tachycardia
Abnormally fast heartbeat, the cause of which involves the atrioventricular node
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It can be associated with digitalis toxicity. It may also be due to onset of acute coronary syndrome, heart failure, conduction system diseases with enhanced automaticity, or administration of theophylline.
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Diagnosis
On an EKG, junctional tachycardia exhibits the following classic criteria:
- P-Waves: The p-wave may be inverted in leads II, III and aVF or may not be visible
- Narrow QRS complexes (which is consistent with arrhythmias that conduct through the ventricles using the His-Purkinje system and often originate from the atria or AV junction.)
It can coexist with other superventricular tachycardias due to the disassociation between the SA node and the AV node.
Forms of junctional tachycardia include junctional ectopic tachycardia (JET) and atrioventricular nodal re-entrant tachycardia (AVNRT) which can be distinguished by performing electrophysiological studies.
Treatment
Amiodarone is used to control the rhythm. Electrical cardioversion is not used.