Ventricular arrhythmias.

Sudden cardiac death remains a leading cause of death in the United States. It is usually due to ventricular arrhythmia, either ventricular tachycardia or ventricular fibrillation. The probability of life threatening ventricular arrhythmia correlates closely with underlying structural heart disease. In any patient presenting with a ventricular arrhythmia, a careful search for underlying causes is required, and treatment should be considered primarily if it will prolong survival. Treatment of patients without underlying heart disease who are experiencing ventricular ectopy, and/or nonsustained ventricular tachycardia, consists of reassurance and education. If symptoms are severe, a beta-blocker is an appropriate choice for drug treatment. Patients with ventricular arrhythmia and structural heart disease are generally best managed in conjunction with a cardiologist.