A Newborn With Atrial Flutter

Atrial flutter is a supraventricular tachyarrhythmia seldom, in the paediatric population occurs mainly in children with congenital heart disease. It may also exist in children with normal heart, especially in newborns. It can be diagnosed in the prenatal period. Symptoms are dependent on the heart rate, the rapid progressive heart failure is possible. The paper contains main data of epidemiology, diagnosis and treatment of atrial flutter in foetus and newborns. In restoring the sinus rhythm an electrical cardioversion is recommended. In the prevention of recurrence of arrhythmia antiarrhythmic drugs should be use, multidrug therapy may be required. This paper presents a newborn with normal heart and recurrent atrial flutter. During the arrhythmia symptoms of the heart failure appeared, due to slow atrioventricular conduction and decreasing heart rate. In the neonatal period four recurrences of the arrhythmia were observed, the child required three electrical cardioversions and she needed three antiarrhythmic drugs.