A patient who had experienced ventricular tachycardia was admitted to the coronary care unit (CCU) in normal sinus rhythm. According to the admitting physician’s notes, the dysrhythmia presumably was caused by myocardial ischemia. The dysrhythmia was described as paroxysmal sustained ventricular tachycardia with a left posterior fascicular block. After coronary artery disease was ruled out, an electrophysiologist diagnosed Belhassen ventricular tachycardia.
The prevalence of Belhassen ventricular tachycardia is not known, and little is available in the literature on the care of patients with this abnormality. In this case study, we summarize the information in the literature, present the case study, and describe the nursing care provided.
Belhassen ventricular tachycardia is a unique ventricular tachycardia (also known as idiopathic fascicular ventricular tachycardia, verapamil-sensitive ventricular tachycardia, and reentrant left ventricular tachycardia) first described by Bernard Belhassen and colleagues in 1981.1 Belhassen ventricular tachycardia occurs more frequently in males 15 to 40...