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Potentially life-threatening emergency
Ventricular fibrillation
Other Resources UpToDate PubMed
Potentially life-threatening emergency

Ventricular fibrillation

Contributors: Christine Osborne MD, Ryan Hoefen MD, PhD
Other Resources UpToDate PubMed

Synopsis

Electrical destabilization of the heart resulting in cardiac arrest. The ECG may show a rapid, grossly irregular QRS pattern with marked variability in cycle length, morphology, and amplitude. The rate is typically >300 beats/min. Ventricular fibrillation (VF) is the most common arrhythmia identified in cardiac arrest patients and leads to death within minutes if not promptly corrected.

Risk factors for VF are heart failure with ejection fraction <35%, coronary artery disease, previous myocardial infarction within the last 6 months, dilated cardiomyopathy, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, or inotropic medications in patients with heart failure.

Presenting symptoms may be dizziness, shortness of breath, myocardial infarction, or sudden cardiac death.

Codes

ICD10CM:
I49.01 – Ventricular fibrillation

SNOMEDCT:
71908006 – Ventricular fibrillation

Differential Diagnosis & Pitfalls

Best Tests

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Drug Reaction Data

Below is a list of drugs with literature evidence indicating an adverse association with this diagnosis. The list is continually updated through ongoing research and new medication approvals. Click on Citations to sort by number of citations or click on Medication to sort the medications alphabetically.

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References

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Last Updated:11/03/2019
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Potentially life-threatening emergency
Ventricular fibrillation
A medical illustration showing key findings of Ventricular fibrillation : Syncope, Arrhythmia
Copyright © 2023 VisualDx®. All rights reserved.