Immediate, early and late ventricular fibrillation complicating acute myocardial infarction: insights from a real life registry

Abstract Background Conflicting data exist on the prognosis of ventricular fibrillation (VF) based on its timing in relation to coronary occlusion in acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Purpose To describe the patient profile and prognostic impact of VF during AMI according to its time of occurrence. Methods Data from three nationwide French cohorts carried out 5 years apart from 2005 to 2015 were analysed (FAST-MI program). All consecutive patients with AMI (STEMI and Non-STEMI) over a 1-month period were enrolled and followed 5 years. The present analysis focused on patients who presented with VF according to its time of occurrence defined as: immediate (out-of-hospital cardiac arrest), early (