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Discussion

SOOOOO

Has anyone ever heard of Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome?

So a student came in with dizziness and feeling like he was going to faint. So of course, I did a full assessment. Blood pressure and heart rate was pretty high.

Had him rest a bit, rechecked his vitals again and they had gone down a bit.

I auscultated and his heart rate was fluctuating (palpitations) from fast to slow and vice versa.

Mom took him immediately to the doctor and he was diagnosed with WPW. WPW is rare and children usually grow out of it without any treatment, unless there are other underlying heart issues. He was referred to a Cardiologist for further assessment. Either way, I was so happy to have caught it and send him out! This was a small yet amazing victory, especially in this field where I am constantly questioned for decisions I make and even though only AN, my mom and I know about this, I am super proud right now!

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    • Featured Replies

    Nice catch!

    I've heard of it from my pedi hospital days, but that's about it.

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    Super awesome catch right there!

    I am familiar with WPW. When you hear stories about teens having an undiagnosed heart condition that nobody knows about until something crazy happens like collapsing on a basketball court, WPW can be one of the causes. Long story short, it creates extra electrical firings in the heart muscle, which leads to extra heartbeats and arrhythmia (SVT), and sometimes that arrhythmia creates symptoms like dizziness and fainting. This is why school physicals, sports physicals, primary care, etc. is so important for kids- just through doing a thorough cardiac history, a provider can pick up on a kid's WPW symptoms without a serious episode ever happening. Other times, awesome school nurses like you become aware of a WPW episode in a kid and make sure follow-up happens.

    I don't know much about treatment, but I believe ablation is used to fix the heart muscle so that extra electrical activity doesn't happen anymore. I'd be curious to see what cardio decides on (you can learn so much from those specialist reports!)

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    • Author
    Nice catch!

    I've heard of it from my pedi hospital days, but that's about it.

    Thanks! Well this is the first time I've ever heard of it! I'm always researching when learning new things!

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    • Author

    Yes! I'm really glad he didn't faint, that could have been slightly worse. I saw that as a form of treatment too if symptoms continue.

    I know! Mom said she would keep me in the loop!

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    Awesome! Thanks for making our profession proud!

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    I'm waiting for Old Dude....but you did snatch that child out of harm's way there. HIGH FIVE!!!!

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    Great job!!!

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    • Experts

    Well, here's what I'll add about that...BAM! Another kid snatched from the jaws of death! School nurses, that's what we do, one kid at a time! coffee...you saved this family a lot of tragedy. Fantastic assessment and intervention, NURSE!!!

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    Well-done. Situations like this occur once in a while, and they tend to go unnoticed.

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    You are awesome.

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