Chronic supraventricular tachycardia can cause severe ventricular dysfunction, which can be surgically repaired.

A 19-year-old woman with a history of chronic supraventricular tachycardia was admitted with acute left ventricular dysfunction (ejection fraction = 0.26). Surgical division of the accessory conduction ventriculoatrial pathway resulted in complete recovery and improved ejection fraction (0.55 one year after operation). The purpose of this report is to indicate that (1) chronic supraventricular tachycardia can cause ventricular dysfunction, (2) surgical repair of the tachycardia reverses ventricular dysfunction, and (3) progressive left ventricular dysfunction is an indication for surgical intervention in the management of chronic supraventricular tachycardia.