Myocardial infarction-related ventricular arrhythmias

Abstract

Ventricular arrhythmias are among the most serious complications of myocardial infarction that defi ne not only increased morbidity and mortality, but also signifi cantly impaired quality of life. The pathogenesis of ventricular arrhythmias that arise during and after myocardial infarction is a combination of various triggering and modulating factors. We present a summary of the main structural and functional changes that occur with myocardial ischemia and create substrate for ventricular arrhythmias. The electrophysiological mechanisms underlying infarction-related ventricular arrhythmias are reviewed, as well as the most common pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatment’s strategies.