Patient discussions
The importance of medication compliance should be stressed. Patients should be advised to contact their physician if they begin to experience palpitations, pre-syncope, syncope, or chest pains. These symptoms may indicate worsening of the underlying cardiac disease or increased frequency of arrhythmia.
Side effects of medications used to treat an associated cardiac condition should be reviewed with the patient. Patients should be instructed to alert their physician concerning implantable cardioverter defibrillator shocks or evidence of device infection (erythema, tenderness, or drainage from the device site).
In addition, patients should be advised to avoid factors that may trigger episodes of arrhythmia such as mental or physical stress and dehydration (may cause electrolyte abnormalities). It is useful to mention that caffeine has not been demonstrated to alter the inducibility or severity of ventricular arrhythmias.[72]
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