Temporary overdriving pacing as an adjunct to antiarrhythmic drug therapy for electrical storm in acute myocardial infarction

A-55-year-old man with diabetes mellitus was admitted to hospital because of chest pain. He was diagnosed as anterior acute myocardial infarction and treated with stent placement. After 7 days, ventricular fibrillation occurred because of a subacute reocclusion and balloon angioplasty was performed. Despite reperfusion therapy, intraaortic balloon pumping, antiarrhythmic drugs and beta-blocker, ventricular tachycardia or fibrillation relapsed and cardioversion was performed 29 times during 32 h. Temporary overdrive atrioventricular sequential pacing was initiated and the malignant arrhythmia finally disappeared. Even after stoppage of 25 h overdride pacing, it never recurred. Temporary overdrive pacing is an easy and feasible therapy for a drug-resistant electrical storm associated with AMI and should be performed in the early stage.