Ventricular fibrillation during acute rejection after heart transplantation.

The case of a 46-year-old patient who underwent orthotopic heart transplantation for treatment of end-stage heart failure as a result of ischemic heart disease is reported. Four months after transplantation a grade II rejection episode was complicated by ventricular fibrillation. Lidocaine and procainamide intravenously did not effectively prevent recurrence. An increase of antirejection therapy in combination with flecainide acetate effectively prevented further episodes of ventricular fibrillation. This case demonstrates that recurrent ventricular fibrillation can be a complication of acute rejection.