2011 Volume 50 Issue 20 Pages 2337-2340
A 74-year-old man without history of ventricular arrhythmias underwent coronary bypass surgery for 3-vessel disease. On the 4th postoperative day, he developed ventricular fibrillation (VF). His monitored ECG showed no elevation of the ST-segment and no prolongation of QT interval, but evolving J waves prior to VF were shown. These J waves gradually decreased after defibrillation. The subsequent angiography revealed patent grafts and normal left ventricular function. J waves reappeared in inferior leads when contrast medium was injected into the coronary artery. Therefore, evolving J wave can be a marker of latent ischemia and a predictor of VF.
