Successful External Electrical Defibrillation in Acute Myocardial Infarction

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Abstract
A patient with an acute myocardial infarction was observed who gave all the appearances of being dead; the electrocardiogram attached at the time showed ventricular fibrillation, which persisted for at least 6 minutes. Regular sinus rhythm was restored within 2 minutes after external defibrillation with the Zoll-Electrodyne External Defibrillator with use of 60-cycle alternating current at 350 volts every 10 seconds for 3 shocks. No other similar case that survived has been found in the literature. The necessity of immediate recognition of ventricular fibrillation in acute myocardial infarction is pointed out in cases of "sudden death." The preference of external electrical defibrillation over direct heart defibrillation is discussed.