Ventricular tachycardia storm terminated by intracoronary contrast injection

Ehrin J Armstrong1, Thomas A Dewland

  • 1Division of Cardiology, San Francisco General Hospital, University of California, San Francisco, 505 Parnassus Avenue, Box 0124, San Francisco, CA 94143-0124, USA. ehrin.armstrong@gmail.com

Insights

An 85-year-old man with incessant ventricular tachycardia experienced abrupt termination of the arrhythmia following a right coronary artery contrast injection during angiography. This case highlights a potential novel therapeutic approach for refractory ventricular tachycardia.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Electrophysiology
  • Interventional Cardiology

Background:

  • Incessant ventricular tachycardia (VT) poses a significant therapeutic challenge, often requiring advanced interventions.
  • Medical management and device therapies can be insufficient for refractory cases of VT.

Observation:

  • An 85-year-old male presented with persistent, hemodynamically compromising ventricular tachycardia.
  • The patient had undergone multiple prior medical and procedural interventions without sustained success.

Findings:

  • During diagnostic coronary angiography, a selective contrast injection into the right coronary artery was performed.
  • This single intervention led to the immediate and complete cessation of the incessant ventricular tachycardia.

Implications:

  • Right coronary artery contrast injection may represent an unexplored adjunctive therapy for specific cases of refractory ventricular tachycardia.
  • Further investigation is warranted to elucidate the mechanism and potential utility of this observation in managing life-threatening arrhythmias.

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