Nifedipine in the treatment of life threatening Prinzmetal angina.

Nifedipine is a non-nitrate vasodilator which has proved effective, in oral form, in Europe, Japan, and the USA for treatment of Prinzmetal Angina. The drug has not been used before in Australia. We report a patient with Prinzmetal's variant angina, complicated by recurrent syncopal episodes due to ventricular arrhythmias. The attacks were resistant to standard therapy except sublingual nitroglycerin but ceased completely during treatment with nifedipine.