Unusual response to the ajmaline test in a patient with Brugada syndrome.

We present a Brugada syndrome patient who suffered an aborted sudden death. The ajmaline test (1 mg/kg body weight) induced accentuated alternans ST-segment elevation in V1-V2 without ventricular arrhythmias. It could represent silent ischaemia not detected before, failure of myocardial regions to repolarize in alternate beats due to transmural dispersion of conduction and refractoriness in the right ventricular outflow tract or a rate dependent sodium channel block by ajmaline. We need more studies to know whether this electrocardiographic sign is a risk factor for life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias in Brugada syndrome patients. (C) 2003 Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of The European Society of Cardiology.