Suppression of Recurrent Ventricular Fibrillation Associated with J-Wave Syndrome Using Cilostazol

Survivors of sudden cardiac death (SCD) should be thoroughly evaluated for primary electrical heart diseases, including early repolarization syndrome (ERS). In some patients, early repolarization patterns may be masked by depolarization abnormalities or may appear intermittently, making diagnosis difficult. In addition to implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) implantation for secondary prevention, pharmacological agents such as quinidine and phosphodiesterase III inhibitors (e.g., cilostazol) are recommended to prevent or reduce recurrent ventricular fibrillation (VF) episodes. We present the case of a young female SCD survivor with documented VF and ICD implantation, who was admitted after Home Monitoring detected multiple short-coupled premature ventricular contraction-induced (PVC-induced) VF episodes. She was successfully treated with cilostazol.

Keywords: Cilostazol, early repolarization syndrome, ventricular fibrillation