Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Editorial
. 2018 Aug 30;8(1):8-11.
doi: 10.5493/wjem.v8.i1.8.

Autonomic function and ventricular tachyarrhythmias during acute myocardial infarction

Theofilos M Kolettis  1
Affiliations
Editorial

Autonomic function and ventricular tachyarrhythmias during acute myocardial infarction

Theofilos M Kolettis. World J Exp Med. .

Abstract

Most cases of sudden cardiac death are attributed to sustained ventricular tachyarrhythmias (VTs), triggered by acute coronary occlusion. Autonomic dysfunction, an important arrhythmogenic mechanism in this setting, is being actively investigated, aiming at the advent of preventive strategies. Recent experimental studies have shown vagal withdrawal after anterior myocardial infarction, coinciding with high incidence of VTs, followed by more gradual sympathetic activation coinciding with a second arrhythmia peak. This article summarizes recent knowledge on this intriguing topic, generating hypotheses that can be investigated in future experimental and clinical studies.

Keywords: Acute myocardial infarction; Arrhythmogenic mechanisms; Delayed arrhythmogenesis; Early arrhythmogenesis; Sudden cardiac death; Sympathetic activity; Vagal activity; Ventricular fibrillation; Ventricular tachyarrhythmias; Ventricular tachycardia.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict-of-interest statement: The author has no conflict of interest to declare.

References

    1. Kolettis TM. Ventricular arrhythmias during acute ischemia/infarction: mechanisms and management. In: Kibos AS, Knight BP, Essebag V, Fishberger SB, Slevin M, et al., editors. Cardiac arrhythmias: from basic mechanism to state-of-the-art management. London: Springer-Verlag; 2014. pp. 237–251.
    1. Kolettis TM. Coronary artery disease and ventricular tachyarrhythmia: pathophysiology and treatment. Curr Opin Pharmacol. 2013;13:210–217. - PubMed
    1. Schömig A. Adrenergic mechanisms in myocardial infarction: cardiac and systemic catecholamine release. J Cardiovasc Pharmacol. 1988;12 Suppl 1:S1–S7. - PubMed
    1. Warner MR, Kroeker TS, Zipes DP. Sympathetic stimulation and norepinephrine infusion modulate extracellular potassium concentration during acute myocardial ischemia. Circ Res. 1992;71:1078–1087. - PubMed
    1. Han J, Garciadejalon P, Moe GK. Adrenergic effects on ventricular vulnerability. Circ Res. 1964;14:516–524. - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources