Adenosine Administration in Young Cardiac Transplant Patients Is Safe and Effective

Denervated hearts (i.e., transplanted hearts) may be more sensitive than innervated hearts to adenosine, the standard treatment for supraventricular tachycardia (SVT). SVTs are common in post-transplant patients, with some studies documenting a 50% prevalence, but many transplant physicians feel that adenosine is contraindicated in their patients because of the risk for prolonged heart block. Alternatives to adenosine (beta-blockers and calcium channel blockers) carry their own risks and have longer half-lives. Nonpharmacologic means such as cardioversion require sedation, and even then pain may occur.

In a single-center study, researchers examined adenosine safety and effectiveness in 80 cardiac-transplant individuals aged 6 months to 25 ye…