The advent of widespread experimental and clinical experience in the fields of thoracic and cardiovascular surgery has produced an increasing awareness and knowledge concerning the recognition and treatment of ventricular fibrillation.* In recent years, several reports 7,16,32,36 have indicated that this information has been utilized in the treatment of ventricular fibrillation complicating acute myocardial infarction. There have been three previous reports wherein long-term survival has been recorded after successful treatment.
Beck7 recorded the first case, in 1955; the second, also reported in 1955, was that of Celio,16 and the third was that of Reagan,36 in 1956. Data relative to these three cases and the fourth, which we are presenting, are tabulated in the Table. All four patients had sudden onset of pain: in the first it was located only in the precordium; in the second, both abdominally and substernally, and in the third it was substernal and