Termination of ventricular tachycardia after methoxamine.
A case of ventricular tachycardia which reverted with intravenous methoxamine is presented. The methoxamine was used to increase blood pressure during anaesthesia for direct current cardioversion. While alpha adrenergic agonists have been used previously to increase vagal tone via a baroreceptor mechanism to revert supraventricular tachycardias, this is the first case where a sustained ventricular tachycardia reverted with an alpha adrenergic agonist. The mechanisms likely to have caused the reversion are discussed.
Department of Anaesthetics, Bristol Royal Infirmary, Bristol, United Kingdom. brownjules@doctors.net.uk
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Brown