Sudden coronary death: pharmacological interventions for the prevention of ventricular fibrillation

Sudden coronary death in patients with coronary artery disease remains a major medical problem in most industrialized nations and in most instances is associated with the unexpected development of ventricular fibrillation. Despite the development of new anti-arrhythmic drugs, few, if any, are suitable for long-term prophylactic application and none were developed specifically for the prevention of ventricular fibrillation. This article discusses the importance of the preclinical phase of drug development in an attempt to focus on those electrophysiological mechanisms which superimpore upon a vulnerable myocardium thus leading to the onset of lethal arrhythmias. It is against this background that potentially useful pharmacological interventions must be assessed if specific therapy for the prevention of sudden coronary death is to become a reality.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/24972/1/0000399.pd