[Recurrent failed ICD therapy of ventricular tachycardia]

Implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICD) are used as standard therapy to prevent sudden cardiac death in heart failure patients. Today, physicians in emergency and intensive care medicine are often confronted with problems of ICD therapy in these patients. We report a case of a patient suffering from recurrent ventricular tachycardia (VT) requiring antiarrhythmia treatment with amiodarone. With an increasing drug loading, the VT cycle length was progressively prolonged resulting in a slow VT undetectable for the ICD. Subsequently, the patient was scheduled for VT ablation after which the patient became free of arrhythmia recurrences.