Cited 29 times since 2015 (3.2 per year) source: EuropePMC Journal of the American College of Cardiology, Volume 65, Issue 18, 22 4 2015, Pages 1954-1959 Predictive value of programmed ventricular stimulation after catheter ablation of post-infarction ventricular tachycardia. Yokokawa M, Kim HM, Baser K, Stevenson W, Nagashima K, Della Bella P, Vergara P, Hindricks G, Arya A, Zeppenfeld K, de Riva Silva M, Daoud EG, Kumar S, Kuck KH, Tilz R, Mathew S, Ghanbari H, Latchamsetty R, Morady F, Bogun FM
Background
A recent meta-analysis demonstrated a survival benefit in post-infarction patients whose ventricular tachycardia (VT) was rendered noninducible by catheter ablation. Furthermore, patients with noninducible VT had a lower VT recurrence rate than did patients whose VT remained inducible after ablation.
Objectives
The purpose of this multicenter cohort study was to assess whether noninducibility after VT ablation is independently associated with improved survival.
Methods
Data from 1,064 patients who underwent VT ablation for post-infarction VT at seven international centers were analyzed. The ablation procedure was considered successful if no VT was inducible at the end of the procedure and unsuccessful if VT remained inducible or if programmed stimulation was not performed at the end of the ablation.
Results
Median follow-up time was 633 days. Noninducibility was independently associated with lower mortality (adjusted hazard ratio: 0.65; 95% confidence interval: 0.53 to 0.79; p<0.001). Atrial fibrillation, diabetes, and age were other independent predictors of higher mortality. Ablation of only the clinical VT in patients who also had inducible, nonclinical VTs was not associated with improved survival.
Conclusions
Noninducibility after VT ablation in patients with post-infarction VT is independently associated with lower mortality during long-term follow-up.
