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.
Abstract:
We describe the case of an 85-year-old man who developed incessant ventricular tachycardia despite multiple medical interventions. During diagnostic coronary angiography, a single contrast injection into his right coronary artery abruptly terminated the ventricular tachycardia.
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