[Short coupled variant of "torsades de pointes" and sudden death]. / Torsade de pointes a couplage court compliquee d'une mort subite.

A case report of 38 year old man who experienced syncope and torsade de pointes is presented with the short coupled variant. The patient had a normal QT interval (QTC: 0.37 seconds) and multiform ventricular premature beats on the resting electrocardiogram. Under antiarrhythmic treatment (intravenous xylocaine), torsades de pointes suddenly appeared and cardiac arrest was followed. After cardioversion, sinus rhythm was restored. A cardiovascular disease was excluded, the echocardiography, the left and right ventricular angiography and coronarography were normal. Three months after, the patient presented at home a sudden cardiac death.