title: Unusual response to the ajmaline test in a patient with Brugada syndrome.
abstract: We present a Brugada syndrome patient who suffered an aborted sudden death. The ajmaline test (1 mg/kg body weight) induced accentuated alternans ST-segment elevation in V1-V2 without ventricular arrhythmias. It could represent silent ischaemia not detected before, failure of myocardial regions to repolarize in alternate beats due to transmural dispersion of conduction and refractoriness in the right ventricular outflow tract or a rate dependent sodium channel block by ajmaline. We need more studies to know whether this electrocardiographic sign is a risk factor for life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias in Brugada syndrome patients.
authors.affiliation: Arrhythmia Unit, Cardiovascular Surgery and Cardiology Institute, Havana, Cuba. jcastroh@infomed.sld.cu
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Castro Hevia
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Dorticos Balea
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dorantes Sánchez
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Zayas Molina
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Quiñones Pérez
mesh_terms: D000404:Ajmaline; D000889:Anti-Arrhythmia Agents; D002037:Bundle-Branch Block / Q000503:physiopathology*; D016757:Death, Sudden, Cardiac / Q000209:etiology*; D004562:Electrocardiography; D022062:Electrophysiologic Techniques, Cardiac; D006801:Humans; D013577:Syndrome; D014693:Ventricular Fibrillation / Q000150:complications
chemical_list: D000889:Anti-Arrhythmia Agents; D000404:Ajmaline