Case report: adenosine induced ventricular fibrillation in a patient with stable ventricular tachycardia.
Adenosine is frequently used in emergency departments and intensive care units for the termination of narrow complex tachycardias. Recently its utility in terminating wide complex tachycardias has been reported in the literature. Adenosine is generally felt to be a safe medication even though its proarrhythmic effects in the setting of narrow complex or supraventricular tachycardias have been well documented. Herein, we describe the first case to our knowledge of adenosine inducing ventricular fibrillation in a patient with a stable wide complex tachycardia that was subsequently proven to be ventricular tachycardia at electrophysiologic study.
St. John's Mercy Medical Center, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Cardiology, St. Louis, Missouri 63141, USA.
W A
WA
Parham
A A
AA
Mehdirad
K M
KM
Biermann
C S
CS
Fredman
D000241:Adenosine / Q000009:adverse effects*; D000889:Anti-Arrhythmia Agents / Q000009:adverse effects*; D022062:Electrophysiologic Techniques, Cardiac; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D017180:Tachycardia, Ventricular / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology*; D014693:Ventricular Fibrillation / Q000139:chemically induced*
D000889:Anti-Arrhythmia Agents; D000241:Adenosine