| Theme |
Death-dealing arrhythmia -- diagnosis, treatment and prevention |
| Title |
Ventricular tachycardia and ventricular fibrillation in patients receiving dialysis |
| Author |
Shigetaka Kanda |
Department of Cardiology Internal Medicine, Tokai University School of Medicine |
| Author |
Koichiro Yoshioka |
Department of Cardiology Internal Medicine, Tokai University School of Medicine |
| [ Summary ] |
The incidence of sudden cardiac death or life-threatening arrhythmia is known to be higher in patients receiving dialysis than in the general population. A higher incidence of life-threatening arrhythmia, such as ventricular tachycardia and fibrillation, is found especially in dialysis patients with a high prevalence of heart failure or coronary artery disease. Furthermore, caution is required for dialysis patients because they are more prone to develop ventricular premature contraction that triggers life-threatening arrhythmia. Sudden changes in circulating blood volume and electrolytes induced by dialysis are highly likely to cause life-threatening arrhythmia ; therefore, treatment of arrhythmia is critical for patients receiving dialysis. Therefore, we review ventricular tachycardia (non-sustained/sustained) and ventricular fibrillation, which are closely associated with the development of sudden cardiac death and premature ventricular contraction triggering sudden cardiac death. |