Prolonged sustained ventricular fibrillation without loss of consciousness in patients supported by a left ventricular assist device.

Patients with cardiomyopathy of either ischemic or nonischemic origin are at increased risk for malignant ventricular arrhythmias. Normally sustained ventricular fibrillation (VF) leads to death very rapidly. We report two patients who remained in sustained VF, supported by a left ventricular assist device, for a prolonged period of time. Perfusion pressure through the device was sufficient to allow the patients to remain awake and responsive for several hours while in VF. The cases represent two of the longest reported episodes of sustained VF recorded in awake patients implanted with such devices.