Short-coupled variant of torsade de pointes

K. Bogaard, M. S. van der Steen, H. L. Tan, R. Tukkie

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

22 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

A 36-year-old man with a history of primary sclerosing cholangitis and epilepsy was admitted to our hospital for cholangitis. During admission he was resuscitated because of ventricular fibrillation. ECGs showed multiple ventricular premature beats (VPBs) with a short coupling interval (240 ms), resulting in frequent torsade de pointes (TdP). In total, the patient had to be defibrillated 12 times. Short-coupled TdP is a rare variant of polymorphic ventricular tachycardia, with unknown aetiology. Verapamil seems to be the only drug able to suppress the arrhythmia. Verapamil, however, does not lower the risk of sudden death; therefore, an ICD implantation is advised. (Neth Heart J 2008;16:246-9.)
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)246-249
JournalNetherlands heart journal
Volume16
Issue number7-8
Publication statusPublished - 2008

Cite this