Sudden cardiac death while taking amiodarone therapy: the role of abnormal repolarization

Torsade depointes may occur as a complication of amiodaronetherapy. We report a patient receiving amiodarone who was resuscitatedfrom cardiovascular collapse and documented ventricular fibrillation.At subsequent electrophysiology study, while the patient wastaking amiodarone therapy, monophasic action potentials withearly after depolarisations were recorded which were not presentwhen the patient was restudied 6 weeks after discontinuationof amiodarone. Early after-depolarisations may be importantin the genesis of polymorphic ventricular tachycardia complicatingamiodarone therapy.