Sudden death during ambulatory monitoring. Analysis of six cases.

The ambulatory electrocardiographic recordings of six patients with coronary artery disease who died during monitoring were analyzed. In four patients, sinus rhythm was interrupted by sinoatrial, atrioventricular, nodal, or infra-His conduction abnormalities leading to bradyarrhythmic sudden death. Two patients died of sustained ventricular tachycardia or ventricular fibrillation. These data emphasize that the arrhythmias involved in the sudden death syndrome may be more heterogenous than currently appreciated.