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Updated: Aug 15, 2026

A Model of Long-Term Ventricular Fibrillation in Isolated Rat Hearts
Published on: February 17, 2023
Outcome of ventricular fibrillation developing during percutaneous coronary interventions in 19,497 patients without
Srinivas Addala1, Joel K Kahn, Thomas F Moccia
1William Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak, Michigan, USA.
Insights
Ventricular fibrillation (VF) outside the hospital has a poor survival rate. However, VF during percutaneous coronary intervention in a cath lab setting shows excellent prognosis with rapid defibrillation.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Interventional Cardiology
Background:
- Ventricular fibrillation (VF) outside of a hospital setting carries a survival rate below 50%.
- Understanding the prognosis of VF in specific procedural contexts is crucial for patient outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the prognosis of ventricular fibrillation (VF) in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of 19,497 patients undergoing PCI.
- Identification of patients who experienced VF during the procedure (n=164).
- Analysis of time to defibrillation and patient outcomes.
Main Results:
- Ventricular fibrillation (VF) occurred in 0.84% of patients undergoing PCI.
- The time to defibrillation was less than one minute for all identified cases.
- All patients experiencing VF during PCI survived without any sequelae.
Conclusions:
- Ventricular fibrillation (VF) occurring within the catheterization laboratory during PCI has a unique and favorable prognosis.
- Rapid defibrillation is key to the excellent outcomes observed in this setting.
Abstract:
Ventricular fibrillation (VF) developing out of hospital or even in hospital has a reported prognosis for survival that is <50%. We examined the prognosis for VF in 19,497 patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention and identified 164 who had VF (0.84%). The time to defibrillation was <1 minute and was successful in all without sequelae. Thus, VF developing in the catheterization laboratory is unique in terms of prognosis.
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