Ventricular Fibrillation during Catheterization of the Right Side of the Heart Terminated Successfully by External Defibrillation

TRANSIENT arrhythmias are frequently encountered during catheterization of the right side of the heart.1 They occur most frequently during manipulation of the catheter in the atrium as isolated atrial ectopic beats or short bursts of paroxysmal atrial tachycardia. When the catheter enters the right ventricle, particularly the area just beyond the tricuspid valve, or the outflow tract, stimulation of the wall results in ventricular ectopic beats or even short bursts of ventricular tachycardia. The latter arrhythmia is probably encountered more often in children with congenital heart disease because of the increased difficulty in passing the catheter into the pulmonary artery, . . .