Some Mechanisms of Supraventricular Tachycardia

Reciprocal rhythm was proposed about 30 years ago by Barker, Wilson, and Johnston as a probable mechanism for the explanation of supraventricular tachycardia. They proposed, on the basis of approximately 100 clinical records at the University of Michigan Hospital, that reentry through the A-V node, better known as reciprocal tachycardia, would account for approximately 40% of their cases. They also postulated that reentry through the S-A node might account for another 40%, and that 20% were probably due to ectopic foci. Ectopic focal activity is demonstrable in the laboratory, and it probably happens in man. Reentry or reciprocal activity through the A-V node can also be demonstrated, and it probably occurs in man