Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome – Mechanism

Transcript

People who have Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome have an accessory pathway between the atrium and the ventricle. This alternate pathway disrupts the heart’s normal rhythm and causes abnormal rhythms, known as arrhythmias, and faster than normal heartbeats, known as tachycardia. The extra pathway that people with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome have allows electrical activity to bypass the AV node, creating a shortcut to the lower chambers of the heart. The result is that the ventricles may beat too early or at wrong times, causing them to beat faster than normal and out of sync with the atria. The increased rate can lead to you developing a bad heart rhythm, and even in some cases can cause death.