Verapamil responsive incessant ventricular tachycardia resulting in severe ventricular dysfunction in a young child: successful management with oral verapamil.

In young children with incessant ventricular tachycardia and severe ventricular dysfunction, the management of tachycardia with conventional antiarrhythmic drugs remains a major therapeutic challenge because most of these drugs can further depress myocardial function. We report a four year old boy with verapamil responsive incessant ventricular tachycardia and severe ventricular dysfunction in whom oral verapamil treatment eliminated both the arrhythmia and the picture of dilated cardiomyopathy. On oral verapamil, the patient remains asymptomatic without recurrence of the ventricular tachycardia over a follow up period of 10 months.