Variant ventricular tachycardia in desipramine toxicity.

We report a case of variant ventricular tachycardia induced by desipramine toxicity. Unusual features of the arrhythmia are repetitive group beating, progressive shortening of the R-R interval, progressive widening of the QRS complex with eventual failure of intraventricular conduction, and changes in direction of the QRS axis. Recognition of variant ventricular tachycardia is important because therapy differs from that of classic ventricular tachycardia.