title: [Brugada's syndrome: experience in Cuba in 2001].
abstract: The Brugada syndrome is the most frequent electrical cause of sudden death in patients with structurally normal heart. It is characterized by ST segment elevation in V1-V3 leads, pseudo right bundle branch block and proneness for episodes of life-threatening ventricular cardiac arrhythmias. The aim of this study was to characterize patients with Brugada syndrome identified in Cuba between 1995 and 2001. Fourteen patients with these electrical signs (13 male and 1 female, mean age 42.8) were studied. Seven of them were symptomatic and seven were not. The pharmacological test with sodium channel blockers was very useful (it was positive for all the patients). HV interval was normal. Programmed ventricular stimulation was performed. Ventricular arrhythmia was inducible in 3 symptomatic patients and 2 asymptomatic. All the symptomatic patients and those asymptomatic in whom ventricular arrhythmia was inducible received automatic defibrillators. One clinical recurrence of ventricular arrhythmias was observed. Antiarrhythmic drugs were only used rarely. Clinical history and electrocardiographic tracings were very important to diagnose this syndrome. There were light, transient or masked electrical signs. The treatment of choice is the implantable cardioverter-defibrillator.
authors.affiliation: Servicio de Arritmias y Estimulación Cardíaca, Instituto de Cardiología y Cirugía Cardiovascular Ciudad de La Habana, Cuba. marccard@infomed.sld.cu
authors.forename: Francisco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Dorticós Balea
authors.forename: Margarita
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dorantes Sánchez
authors.forename: Jorge Luis
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Arbaiza Simón
authors.forename: Jesús
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Castro Hevia
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Zayas Molina
authors.forename: Miguel Angel
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Quiñones Pérez
authors.forename: Yanela
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Fayad Rodríguez
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001145:Arrhythmias, Cardiac / Q000503:physiopathology*; D003462:Cuba; D003645:Death, Sudden; D004562:Electrocardiography; D005260:Female; D006327:Heart Block / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013577:Syndrome