PHARMACOLOGICAL TREATMENT OF FETAL ARRHYTHMIA IN A TERM PREGNANT WOMAN AT THE HIGH-RISK OBSTETRICS SERVICE: CASE REPORT

Abstract

The normal fetal heart rate ranges between 120 and 160 beats per minute. When values fall outside this range, either intermittently or persistently and in the absence of uterine contractions, the condition is classified as fetal arrhythmia. These arrhythmias can be divided into two groups according to their clinical significance: benign arrhythmias, which account for about 90% of cases and include most extrasystoles, bradycardias, and sinus tachycardias; and potentially severe arrhythmias, responsible for approximately 10% of cases, which include persistent tachyarrhythmias and bradyarrhythmias that may lead to non-immune hydrops fetalis. Among these, supraventricular tachycardia stands out, occurring in approximately 1 in every 10,000 pregnancies and representing 67 to 84% of diagnosed tachyarrhythmias. In this case report, we present a persistent fetal tachycardia diagnosed and treated during intrauterine life, with successful pharmacological cardioversion, whose main objective was to allow the pregnancy to reach full term.