title: Ventricular fibrillation related to coronary spasm in patients without significant coronary or other structural heart disease.
abstract: We present three patients without significant coronary or other structural heart disease who were resuscitated after ventricular fibrillation attributed to coronary spasm. Angina pectoris was present in two of the cases and silent myocardial ischemia in the third. All patients were given calcium antagonists at discharge. A defibrillator was also implanted in the patient with silent myocardial ischemia because further episodes of ischemia would probably have occurred without premonitory symptoms. Coronary spasm might be a mechanism of ventricular fibrillation in patients without significant structural heart disease. Diagnostic tests should therefore be performed to confirm or exclude coronary spasm in such cases. The implantation of an automatic defibrillator seems justified in selected patients with documented coronary spasm, silent myocardial ischemia, and associated sustained ventricular tachyarrhythmia, although prospective studies are not yet available.
authors.affiliation: Abteilung für Innere Medizin mit Schwerpunkt Kardiologie und Pulmologie, Klinikum Steglitz, Freie Universität Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Behrens
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Andresen
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Brüggemann
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Schröder
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003329:Coronary Vasospasm / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology; D004562:Electrocardiography; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D014693:Ventricular Fibrillation / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology