Ventricular fibrillation following administration of thrombolytic treatment: The EMIP experience

Reperfusion-induced ventricular fibrillation has been demonstrated in animal models of myocardial ischaemia, but no evidence exists for this in humans. The European Myocardial Infarction Project compared the efficacy and safety of pre-hospital thrombolytic therapy with that of hospital therapy. The objective of this study was to investigate the occurrence of reperfusion-induced ventricular fibrillation in acute myocardial infarction patients following thrombolytic therapy. In a double-blind multicentre trial, eligible patients were randomized to receive anistreplase at home followed by placebo in the hospital (A/P group), or placebo followed by anistreplase (P/A group). The occurrence of ventricular fibrillation, and other adverse events were recorded on specific study forms and could be attributed to defined time intervals. The incidence of ventricular fibrillation in the A/P group was significantly higher following the pre-hospital injection than in the P/A group (2.5% vs 1.6%; P = 0.021); the situation was reversed following the hospital injection (3.6% vs 5.3%; P = 0.002). No relationship was found between this excess of ventricular fibrillation and the patients' condition, with the exception of the site of the infarct. These results suggest the existence of reperfusion-induced ventricular fibrillation in patients developing myocardial infarction who receive thrombolytic treatment.