Language

English

Publication Date

3-28-2025

Journal

EP Europace

DOI

10.1093/europace/euaf067

PMID

40165484

PMCID

PMC12018878

PubMedCentral® Posted Date

4-1-2025

PubMedCentral® Full Text Version

Post-print

Abstract

The pharmacological provocation test is a pivotal tool in cardiac electrophysiology for the diagnosis of potential causes of sudden cardiac death, sudden cardiac arrest (SCA), arrhythmias, symptoms, or ECG abnormalities. The 2022 European Society of Cardiology Guidelines for the Treatment of Ventricular Arrhythmias and Prevention of Sudden Cardiac Death offered guidance on provocation testing but did not describe the indications and requirements in depth. This clinical consensus statement, led by the European Heart Rhythm Association and approved by major international stakeholders, aims to advise the general cardiologist and the arrhythmia expert who to test and when, where, and how to do it. The statement focuses on current practice for the diagnosis of subclinical arrhythmia syndromes and the causes of SCA, building upon the recommendations of the Guidelines. We address the sodium channel blocker provocation test for patients suspected of Brugada syndrome as well as the use of epinephrine, isoproterenol, adenosine, ergonovine, and acetylcholine.

Keywords

Humans, Arrhythmias, Cardiac, Cardiac Electrophysiology, Consensus, Death, Sudden, Cardiac, Electrocardiography, Electrophysiologic Techniques, Cardiac, Predictive Value of Tests, drug challenge, provocation testing, sodium channel blocker test, ajmaline, flecainide, procainamide, pilsicainide, epinephrine, isoproterenol, adenosine, ergonovine, acetylcholine, sudden cardiac death, cardiac arrest, Brugada syndrome, catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia, Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, coronary vasospasm, sudden arrhythmic death syndrome

Published Open-Access

yes

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