INAPPROPRIATE MANAGEMENT OF SELF-TERMINATING VENTRICULAR ARRHYTHMIAS BY IMPLANTABLE CARDIOVERTER-DEFIBRILLATORS DESPITE A SPECIFIC RECONFIRMATION ALGORITHM - A REPORT OF 2 CASES

Algorithms that attempt to reconfirm the presence of an arrhythmia pri or to definite treatment have been implemented in ICDs to prevent inap propriate shock therapy due to self-terminating ventricular arrhythmia s. Nevertheless, in two patients, clinically inappropriate shocks were delivered after spontaneous conversion of the arrhythmia despite the use of a specific reconfirmation algorithm. Reconfirmation criteria we re met due to a premature ventricular complex causing a short cycle in the first patient and a long postextrasystolic pause in the second pa tient. To avoid inappropriate shock therapy due to self-terminating ve ntricular arrhythmias, further improvement of detection algorithms is required.