Many patients (e.g., those with no symptoms or only mild tachycardias) require no treatment. Other patients may need to take medications, such as antiarrhythmics, to control tachycardias. These medications must be carefully administered and monitored by a physician, as they can sometimes worsen the severity of an abnormal rhythm.

It is difficult to identify all patients with WPW who are at risk for sudden death due to ventricular fibrillation. This risk is determined by the ability of the accessory connection to conduct electrical signals at a rapid rate. In some cases, an exercise stress test can allow assessment of the electrical properties of the accessory pathway. In other individuals, an invasive electrophysiology study must be administered to definitively identify the condition. If the pathway has these characteristics then radiofrequency ablation should be performed.

In certain patients catheter ablation or radiofrequency ablation is necessary. These patients include those who cannot be successfully treated by medications or whose pathway places them at risk for sudden cardiac death. During ablation, an area of the patient’s body (usually the groin) is numbed, but the patient remains awake. The physician makes a cut (incision) in the area, through which a thin tube (catheter) is inserted into a major blood vessel. The catheter is guided all the way up to the heart. At the tip of the tube is a small wire, which can deliver radiofrequency energy to burn away the abnormal areas of the heart. Following successful ablation, the heart can beat normally again.

This catheter-based procedure is the preferred method of treating patients with Wolff-Parkinson-White (WPW) syndrome. It has a roughly 90 percent success rate of destroying the accessory pathways, and the risk of complications is low. Because the procedure’s success will eliminate the need to take medication, it is particularly valuable in treating younger patients who may not want, or be able, to take medications for the rest of their lives.

In rare cases, surgery will be necessary. Both surgical ablation and endocardial resection are types of open-heart surgery in which the surgeon selectively destroys the abnormal areas of the heart that are causing abnormal heart rhythms.

In an emergency situation where ventricular fibrillation develops and the person possibly loses consciousness (cardiac arrest), defibrillation is necessary.

Recurring tachycardias resulting from WPW syndrome can be controlled over the long term with drug therapy, but there is no effective way to prevent this condition entirely. It is recommended that individuals diagnosed with WPW syndrome carry a sample EKG printout and/or wear a medical bracelet to alert medical professionals of their condition should they experience cardiac arrest.