Epicardial vasospasm and concomitant ventricular tachycardia treated with Beta-1-specific Beta-blockade: a case series in support of nebivolol.

Background: Patients who experience ventricular tachycardia and cardiac arrest induced by epicardial vasospasm are at high risk for recurrent cardiac events. Conventional treatment includes calcium channel-blockade, long-acting nitrates, and the withdrawal of beta-blockade. These guidelines have not been proven effective in randomized controlled trials, and the evidence against beta-blockade is primarily anecdotal. Ongoing medical management in the setting of treatment failure is unclear, but abnormal sympathetic activity has been implicated in both spasm and ventricular arrhythmias. Case presentation: We describe three patients with spasm-related ventricular arrhythmias and unacceptably poor response to conventional treatment. Clinical stability and asymptomatic status were achieved following the addition of nebivolol, a third-generation, lipophilic beta-1-specific beta-blocker. Discussion: Selective beta-blockade may represent a therapeutic option in patients with high-risk epicardial spasm and ventricular arrhythmias. Furthermore, the apparent success of nebivolol in this setting suggests that hyperactive sympathetic input may represent a causal or aggravating factor in spasm-associated ventricular arrhythmias.