title: [Heart failure and cardiac arrhythmias].
abstract: Treatment of ventricular tachycardias is still a very important problem, especially in patients with malignant tachycardias and patients with heart failure and ejection fraction (EF) less than 30%. The majority of antiarrhythmic drugs have negative inotropic action and may therefore aggravate the arrhythmia or the ventricular impairment. The strategy of treatment must be directed toward suppression of arrhythmias as well as ventricular function. For this reason the treatment requires a close control of heart rhythm and parameters of ventricular function by Holter-ECG, ventricular stimulation and signal-averaged electrocardiography, as well as EF and exercise testing. In view of the risk of aggravation of both heart failure and/or arrhythmia it has been suggested that it might be better to treat patients with low EF with alternative non-medical treatment methods such as by surgical interventions, implantation of cardioverter-defibrillators or ablation techniques. Especially in cases after myocardial infarction, we need new information concerning the risk stratification and the value of the parameters of ventricular function, electrophysiological substrate, and trigger mechanisms.
authors.affiliation: Klinikum Berlin Buch, Medizinischer Bereich VI/Kardiologie.
authors.forename: K J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Rostock
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001145:Arrhythmias, Cardiac / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000628:therapy; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000628:therapy; D003645:Death, Sudden / Q000209:etiology; D004562:Electrocardiography; D005260:Female; D006329:Heart Conduction System / Q000503:physiopathology; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000628:therapy; D006439:Hemodynamics / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors
vernacular_title: Herzinsuffizienz und Herzrhythmusstörugen.