Ablation of ventricular tachycardia of right ventricular origin with low energy shocks

Three shocks of 2 joules (2,000 volts within 0.3 msec) were given to a patient with ventricular tachycardia of right ventricular origin at the site of the earliest activation. A standard 6 Fr USCI mapping catheter was used. After the first shock the cycle length prolonged from 385 to 531 msec. After the second shock, the tachycardia was no longer inducible and it remained so after 1 week. No recurrences were seen during a follow-up period of 8 months. This is the first report demonstrating efficacy of modified low energy shocks for ventricular tachycardia.