Wolf-Parkinson-White syndrome

Wolf-Parkinson-White syndrome is a condition which causes very rapid heartbeats - up to 300 per minute - as a result of an abnormal conducting pathway between the atria at the top of the heart and the ventricles below. Usually the heart beats as a result of an electrical signal which starts in the sinu-atrial node in the right atrium, and which passes down to the tip of the ventricles before spreading over the heart. If there is an abnormal connection between the atria and ventricles - called an accessory pathway - the atria can be stimulated again and again. Very fast heart rates cause heart failure, and possibly death, and need emergency treatment. Medication can be used to stabilise the conducting system of the heart. There are techniques available to destroy the abnormal pathway.
 
 
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