Incidence of Papaverine‐Induced Ventricular Arrhythmias

Papaverine has been proposed as the ideal coronary vasodilator due to its ease of use, low cost, and capacity to induce steady‐state maximal hyperemia. However, in a small proportion of patients, ventricular arrhythmias may occur, possibly related to the interaction of papaverine with contrast agents or heparin. The precise incidence of these arrhythmias and their precipitating factors have not been firmly established. Accordingly, we aimed to assess the incidence of ventricular arrhythmias related to intracoronary papaverine administration and to identify any clinical or procedural risk factors in a large real‐world cohort.