IMPORTANCE OF A NONDOMINANT RIGHT CORONARY-ARTERY OCCLUSION PRESENTING AS SUDDEN CARDIAC DEATH WITH PROLONGED RIGHT-VENTRICULAR DYSFUNCTIONAND MALIGNANT ARRHYTHMIAS

We report a case of a patient who presented with sudden cardiac death secondary to a subtotal occlusion of a small non-dominant right corona ry system. Catheterization several weeks following the initial episode revealed persistent severe right ventricular dysfunction with moderat e hemodynamic compensation. Continued unstable arrhythmogenic potentia l at this point led to placement of an AICD device. The case highlight s the potential hazard and often complacency involved in dealing with benign appearing lesions as this one. (C) 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.