Prognosis of patients with coronary vasospasm after successful resuscitation from ventricular fibrillation

Abstract

Ventricular fibrillation (VF) is an important cause of sudden cardiac death in patients with coronary vasospasm. Intensive medical treatment against coronary vasospasm is most important for prevention of VF recurrence, and the efficacy of implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) devices is controversial. We examined 19 consecutive patients with coronary spasm who had been successfully resuscitated from VF between 1993 and 2010, 13 of whom underwent ICD implantation. There were no apparent differences in the results of coronary angiography and acetylcholine provocation test or in medical therapy among them. Six patients underwent electrophysiological tests during the acetylcholine provocation test, and 3 of them showed ventricular arrhythmia. Three patients had recurrent VF under treatment with single calcium channel blocker (CCB), nitrates, and/or nicorandil. Two of them were without ICDs and were left in vegetative states, and the third was successfully resuscitated by an appropriate ICD discharge. The results of our study suggest that dual or multiple CCB treatment is preferable to prevent VF recurrence, and that combined treatment with ICD may be effective for some patients with coronary vasospasm who have been successfully resuscitated from VF. However, reasonable risk stratification for ICD implantation in these patients needs to be established in the future.

Keywords

• Coronary vasospasm
• Ventricular fibrillation
• Implantable cardioverter-defibrillator
• Calcium channel blockers