The use of external electrical countershock in the treatment of ventricular and supraventricular tachycardia in adults has been the subject of several recent reports.1-5 Paul and Miller6 used external electrical countershock to terminate persistent supraventricular arrhythmias, resistant to drug therapy, in three children (ages 9 to 15 years) with congenital heart disease.
The purpose of this communication is to report the successful use of external electrical countershock in terminating persistent rapid atrial tachycardia in a 7-month-old infant with an otherwise normal cardiovascular system. It is not the purpose of this report to discuss the semantics of whether this infant had atrial tachycardia or atrial
Report of a Case
A 7-month-old, white, male infant was admitted to the University of Colorado Medical Center on Nov 12, 1963. History revealed that the baby was the product of a normal pregnancy and delivery with a birth weight of 9 lb l5]/2