Plasma epinephrine and norepinephrine concentrations were measured before, during, and shortly after induced ventricular tachycardia (VT) in 22 selected patients. Sustained, unimorphic VT was induced by programmed ventricular stimulation and terminated after 45 to 384 seconds by overdrive pacing in all patients. In no patient did VT result in loss of consciousness. The baseline plasma catecholamine concentrations did not correlate with the baseline right ventricular effective refractory period, the cycle length of induced VT, or the number of extrastimuli required to induce VT. Induced VT was not associated with a significant increase in the mean plasma epinephrine concentration. In contrast, the plasma norepinephrine concentration increased from a mean baseline level of 317 +/- 136 pg/ml (mean +/- standard deviation) to 418 +/- 220 pg/ml during VT (p less than 0.01) and increased further to 569 +/- 387 pg/ml shortly after VT (p less than 0.01). The plasma norepinephrine concentration shortly after VT correlated with the rate and duration of VT and with the magnitude of decrease in mean blood pressure during VT (p less than 0.05 for each). In eight patients the same configuration of VT was induced on two sequential attempts; in five patients the same number of extrastimuli were required for the second induction of VT as for the first, whereas in three patients fewer extrastimuli were required. Plasma catecholamine concentrations were not higher in patients requiring fewer extrastimuli to induce the second episode of VT, either shortly after the first episode of VT or shortly after the second episode of VT.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)