A Review Article on Tachyarrhythmias in Pregnancy

Tachyarrhythmias, classified as an irregular heartbeat greater than 100 beats per minute, are pervasive during pregnancy and can increase the risk of cardiac morbidity and hospitalizations. Preexisting arrhythmias are exacerbated by pregnancy's hormonal and autonomic changes, whereas de novo arrhythmias are predisposed to by the increased cardiac output, heart rate, and ventricular stretching required to accommodate the increased cardiac output. The absence of randomized controlled studies evaluating the safety and efficacy of anti-arrhythmic drugs and anticoagulants makes the therapy of arrhythmias in this sensitive demographic group seem to be difficult. This review emphasizes the pathophysiologic mechanisms and incidence of tachyarrhythmias in pregnancy, highlighting the evidence-based therapies directed at ameliorating the effects of arrhythmias in pregnancy. We searched journal articles published between 1990 and December 2021 on PubMed, Embase and Google Scholar to identify studies evaluating the incidence and management of tachyarrhythmias in pregnancy. The goal of this review is to discuss the incidence of tachyarrhythmias and current evidence for treatment in pregnancy to optimize maternal and fetal outcomes.