Ventricular tachycardia, diagnosis and misdiagnosis: A case report

We report a patient who, despite significant cardiac disease and inappropriate therapy,endured continuous undiagnosed ventricular tachycardia (VT) for 5 days without hemodynamic deterioration. The two main reasons for the frequently missed diagnosis of VT are (1) the mistaken belief that VT cannot be well tolerated, and (2) ignorance of the many helpful electrocardiographic clues. Six precepts for avoiding misdiagnosis are enunciated.