Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome

Wolff-Parkinson-White (WPW) Syndrome is a pre-excitation syndrome caused by "early activation of the ventricles due to impulses bypassing the AV node via an accessory pathway."^[2]

• WPW syndrome can first appear any time from childhood to middle age, and presentation of symptoms varies by patient age.
• Symptoms of WPW syndrome range in severity from moderate chest discomfort or palpitations to severe cardiopulmonary compromise and cardiac arrest.
• Treatments of WPW syndrome include radiofrequency ablation of the accessory pathway, antiarrhythmic drugs, and AV nodal blocking drugs.

Diagnosis of WPW Syndrome on the ECG

1. Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome [Online image]. (2013). Retrieved July 19, 2016, from http://www.practicalclinicalskills.com/ekg-reference-guide-details?lessonID=16
2. Pre-excitation Syndromes. (n.d.). Retrieved July 27, 2016, from http://lifeinthefastlane.com/ecg-library/pre-excitation-syndromes/
3. Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome. (n.d.). Retrieved July 27, 2016, from http://www.practicalclinicalskills.com/ekg-reference-guide-details?lessonID=16
   1. Ellis, C. R. (n.d.). Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome. Retrieved August 08, 2016, from http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/159222-overview
4. MIT-BIH Arrhythmia Database. (1980). Retrieved June, 2016, from https://physionet.org/physiobank/database/mitdb/
5. Goldberger AL, Amaral LAN, Glass L, Hausdorff JM, Ivanov PCh, Mark RG, Mietus JE, Moody GB, Peng C-K, Stanley HE. PhysioBank, PhysioToolkit, and PhysioNet: Components of a New Research Resource for Complex Physiologic Signals. Circulation101(23):e215-e220 [Circulation Electronic Pages;http://circ.ahajournals.org/cgi/content/full/101/23/e215]; 2000 (June 13).