Chronic supraventricular (or ventricular) tachycardia causes a dilated cardiomyopathy. Effective treatment requires ablation of the tachycardia using antiarrhythmic agents, cryoablation, electroablation, or surgical interruption/excision. However, the underlying pathophysiologic mechanisms responsible for the development of supraventricular tachycardia-induced cardiomyopathy have not been fully identified. We hypothesized that chronic supraventricular tachycardia is associated with significant changes in the beta-adrenergic system that may have implications for the pathophysiology and treatment of supraventricular tachycardia-induced cardiomyopathy. Accordingly, we examined the relationship between left ventricular function, plasma norepinephrine level, beta-receptor number and affinity, and response to a beta-agonist (isoproterenol) infusion in eight control pigs and eight pigs subjected to supraventricular pacing-induced tachycardia (240 beats/min for 3 weeks). Left ventricular function was measured using simultaneous echocardiography and catheterization. Left ventricular end-diastolic dimension and pressure increased in pigs with supraventricular tachycardia (5.1 +/- 0.4 cm and 27 +/- 2 mm Hg) versus control pigs (3.8 +/- 0.3 cm and 8 +/- 2 mm Hg), p < 0.05. Left ventricular fractional shortening decreased in supraventricular tachycardia (10 +/- 1%) versus control pigs (34 +/- 1%), p < 0.05. In addition, in the pigs with supraventricular tachycardia the fractional shortening versus left ventricular end-systolic stress relationship fell below the control relationship. Plasma norepinephrine level (measured by high-performance liquid chromatography) increased in pigs with supraventricular tachycardia (3592 +/- 1606 pg/ml plasma) versus control pigs (323 +/- 74 pg/ml plasma), p < 0.05. beta-Receptor number and affinity (measured by [3H]dihydroalprenolol binding) did not change in supraventricular tachycardia (98.6 +/- 11.5 fmol/mg protein and 7.2 +/- 1.1 nmol) versus control pigs (99.1 +/- 9.4 fmol/mg protein and 6.8 +/- 0.5 nmol). The response to isoproterenol infusion (10 micrograms/kg) in supraventricular tachycardia was blunted: the absolute increase in left ventricular peak (+)dP/dt was reduced in supraventricular tachycardia (833 +/- 233 mm Hg/sec) versus control pigs (2180 +/- 139 mm Hg/sec), p < 0.05. Chronic supraventricular tachycardia caused a decreased contractile state, increased plasma norepinephrine level, and caused no change in beta-receptor number or affinity; however, the response to beta-agonist infusion was blunted. These results suggest that chronic supraventricular tachycardia is associated with uncoupling of the beta-receptor from subsequent intracellular components of the beta-adrenergic system. Therefore medical management of chronic supraventricular tachycardia-induced cardiomyopathy before and immediately after definitive ablation may require use of pharmacologic agents whose actions do not depend on an intact beta-adrenergic pathway.