Ventricular fibrillation in a patient with 'silent' mitral valve prolapse.

A patient with clinically silent mitral valve prolapse experienced an episode of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest due to ventricular fibrillation. This arrhythmia was easily replicated in the electrophysiology laboratory and despite treatment with amiodarone alone and amiodarone in combination with propranolol. Amiodarone in combination with quinidine prevented the induction of ventricular fibrillation and proved effective during a 3-year follow-up period. Even though a clear-cut relationship between the arrhythmias and mitral valve prolapse cannot be established, this case suggests that sudden death can occur in patients with mitral valve prolapse but without the known risk factors for the development of sudden death.