Wolff-Parkinson-White-White (WPW) syndrome

If you have episodes of a rapid heart rate, you want to know why – and how you can prevent them from happening again. We can help. At Aurora, our experts specialize in pinpointing the cause and treating an irregular heartbeat so you can get back to a steady and healthy rhythm.

What is Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome?

A rare condition that’s present at birth, Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome occurs when you have an extra electrical pathway in your heart that causes a very fast heartbeat. Also called WPW syndrome, the condition leads to episodes of supraventricular tachycardia, where your heart beats 100 or more beats per minute. This type of irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia) happens above the ventricles (lower heart chambers).

Usually, having an extra electrical pathway doesn’t cause a fast heartbeat. This is known as Wolff-Parkinson-White pattern, which your doctor often discovers from other heart tests.

Most often, Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome doesn’t cause significant problems. However, more serious complications can develop if you have other heart conditions.

Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome symptoms

Although Wolff-Parkinson-White symptoms can happen at any age, symptoms typically occur in your teens or early 20s. You may experience just a few episodes of tachycardia or have them once or twice a week. An episode of a rapid heartbeat can begin suddenly and last for a few seconds or several hours. Sometimes exercise can trigger these symptoms.

You may also experience:

• Anxiety
• Dizziness, light-headedness or fainting
• Fatigue and weakness, especially with physical exertion
• Heart palpitations
• Shortness of breath

Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome diagnosis

To diagnose Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, we’ll start with a thorough physical exam and ask about your symptoms and family history. We may order tests for you, too, such as:

• Electrocardiogram (EKG) to check your heart rhythm
• Portable monitoring with a Holter monitor that uses a small, battery-powered EKG to continuously monitor your heart rate and rhythm for 24 to 48 hours, or an event monitor that records your heart rhythms when symptoms occur over about a month
• Electrophysiology study, where we use a thin, flexible tube called a catheter to record your heart rhythm and help detect an extra electrical pathway

If we suspect any type of arrhythmia, you’re in the right place for expert care. We’ll refer you to one of our cardiologists or electrophysiologists who are highly experienced in diagnosing and treating heart rhythm conditions.

Find out more about our heart and vascular testing and diagnosis.

Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome treatment

To treat Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, your care plan will include ways to slow your rapid heart rate and prevent future episodes. We may recommend:

• Medications to control arrhythmia
• Vagal maneuvers, simple physical movements to slow your heartbeat, like coughing, bearing down or placing an ice pack on your face
• Electrical cardioversion, where we deliver small electrical pulses to your heart to restore a normal rhythm
• Cardiac ablation, where we use gentle burning or freezing to treat the areas of your heart causing the rapid rhythm