Ventricular Fibrillation in Late Recovery After Dobutamine Stress Echocardiography

A 62-year-old man with multiple cardiac risk factors, including diabetes mellitus type II, treated hypertension, and hyperlipidemia, had a dobutamine stress echocardiogram performed as part of a preoperative evaluation. At peak stress the patient developed an apical regional wall motion abnormality. Approximately 12 minutes into the recovery period, the patient developed ventricular tachycardia that degenerated into ventricular fibrillation. He was successfully resuscitated and underwent emergency coronary angiography that showed a 95% distal left anterior descending coronary artery stenosis.