title: Ajmaline challenge in young individuals with suspected Brugada syndrome.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The clinical characteristics and the results of ajmaline challenge in young individuals with suspected Brugada syndrome (BS) have not been systematically investigated.
  
  
  METHODS
  Among a larger series of patients included in the BS database of our Department, 179 patients undergoing ajmaline challenge were included in the study and categorized in two groups according to age: group 1 (<18 years old) and group 2 (≥18 years old). Clinical features and results of the ajmaline challenge of each group were compared.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Young individuals were more often asymptomatic compared to adult patients (P = 0.002). They showed a higher number of normal ECGs (P = 0.023), a lower percentage of Brugada type II electrocardiographic pattern compared to the adult population (P = 0.011), and a comparable amount of spontaneous Brugada type III electrocardiographic pattern (P = 0.695). Ajmaline provoked a higher degree of intraventricular conduction delay (P = 0.002) and higher degree of prolongation of the ventricular repolarization phase (P = 0.013) in young individuals but its pro-arrhythmic risk was comparable in the two groups (P = 0.684). Furthermore, inducibility of ventricular arrhythmias in young patients with a positive ajmaline test was comparable to that of the adults with a positive ajmaline test (P = 0.694).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The present study demonstrates the low-risk profile of the ajmaline test in young patients when performed by experienced physicians and nurses in an appropriate environment.
authors.affiliation: Heart Rhythm Management Center, UZ Brussel-VUB, Brussels, Belgium. sorgente.antonio@gmail.com
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sorgente
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sarkozy
authors.forename: Carlo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: De Asmundis
authors.forename: Gian-Battista
authors.initials: GB
authors.lastname: Chierchia
authors.forename: Lucio
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Capulzini
authors.forename: Gaetano
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Paparella
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Henkens
authors.forename: Pedro
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Brugada
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000404:Ajmaline / Q000009:adverse effects; D000889:Anti-Arrhythmia Agents / Q000009:adverse effects; D053840:Brugada Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004562:Electrocardiography / Q000187:drug effects*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000889:Anti-Arrhythmia Agents; D000404:Ajmaline