The effects of coronary artery disease on the ventricular fibrillation threshold in man.

The ventricular fibrillation threshold (VFT) was measured in 28 patients at the time of cardiac surgery. The VFT was measured with a 100 Hz train of 24 rectangular pulses positioned across the ST segment and T wave. Current was applied to the epicardial surface of either ventricle with a bipolar electrode probe. In six patients, the normal right VFT was 24.3 +/- 5.2 mA, and in 10 patients the normal left VFT was 33.6 +/- mA (p less than 0.05). In 12 patients with greater than or equal to 75% obstruction of the left anterior descending coronary artery, the left VFT was 18.6 +/- 6.9 mA. This value was significantly less than the left VFT in patients without coronary artery disease (p less than 0.001). This study shows that the VFT can be measured in man and that coronary artery disease reduces this parameter.