WPW

[olconnie]

My 2 week granddaughter was diagnosed with WPW SVT.  I have some understanding of SVT but not what WPW means?  Is that a heart disease?  Please explain that to me.  Also, is there any risk of death due to reprocussions from the WPW SVT?
   Mimi

[momofwpw]

My daughter was diagnosised with WPW SVT at 2.5 months.  She is now 6 1/2 and is just as normal and active as any 6 year old. She skiis in the winter.  Swims year round and plays soccer in the summer.  She bikes and plays and climbs.   She is on beta blockers (since she was 4 months old) and averages 1 episode of SVT monthly.  WPW-Wolf Parkinsons White syndrom.  In plain terms, it is an extra electrical pathway which occ sends a second message to the heart to beat.  so instead of one normal message, the heart receives two...so instead of the heart beating at 70 or 80 beats a min(I am not even sure what a normal heart rate is for her age-beta blockers slow things down normally), it may beat at 220, 240 etc.  My daughter was diagnosised when her heart was beating at 305 beats a minute....She is monitored by a cardiologist every 6 months.  When in SVT we make an ER visit and she generally reguires IV adenosine.   There is a lot of information on the internet reguarding WPW.  It is not life threatening but does require emergency treatment if the heart does not slow down on its own...which it sometimes does.  My daughter to date has had 26 episodes of SVT (fast heart rate) and she only converted on her own 4 times.  The rest of the time-we are in the ER of the local hospital who know her very well.  We live with it and it does not rule her world or ours.  There is surgery to correct it-abilation-unfortunately for my daughter her pathway is very close to her AV node, so only 50 % success rate. We are coasting at this time and in a wait and see position.  Surgery is on the back burner at this time.  Good luck and do not threat.  Read up about it and learn as much as you can....it will help you cope with it....