title: Inappropriate high-rate ventricular pacing in a patient with a defibrillator.
abstract: We describe a patient who presented with high rate ventricular pacing secondary to dysfunction of his implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD). The device was also unable to communicate with the programmer and unable to treat ventricular fibrillation. Immediate disconnection of the ICD from the leads was the only effective recourse. Subsequent detailed technical analysis of the device revealed a different electrical circuit problem from that found in typical cases of runaway pacing. To our knowledge this is the first description of a malfunction of precisely this nature.
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiology, University Hospital of Geneva, Switzerland. szaimmd@hotmail.com
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zaim
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sunthorn
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Adatte
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kürsteiner
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Burgener
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Huehn
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002304:Cardiac Pacing, Artificial; D017147:Defibrillators, Implantable; D004562:Electrocardiography; D004868:Equipment Failure; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017180:Tachycardia, Ventricular / Q000628:therapy