Presumed Alcohol-Induced Ventricular Tachycardia Storm: A Case Report

Abstract

Alcohol abuse is a widely recognized cause of supra-ventricular fibrillation, but in some patients, it is also associated with ventricular arrhythmias and even sudden death. We describe a case of a 36-year-old patient who, with no risk factors for coronary disease and with a structurally normal heart, experienced two episodes of cardiac arrest five years apart, with both events occurring after significant alcohol consumption. It is important to recognize that the prognosis of alcohol-induced arrhythmias is usually good in patients who remain compliant with alcohol cessation and to avoid the misdiagnosis of "idiopathic" ventricular tachycardia/ventricular fibrillation (VT/VF).