title: Long-term follow-up in patients with incessant ventricular tachycardia.
abstract: Seventeen patients with coronary artery disease, idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy or no organic heart disease who presented with incessant ventricular tachycardia (VT) were studied and followed for a mean period of 51 +/- 35 months. In these patients the incessant VT included greater than or equal to 3 episodes of sustained VT at a rate of greater than or equal to 120 beats/min and frequent episodes of nonsustained VT over a 24-hour period. No patient had electrolyte disorder, prolonged QT interval, drug-induced arrhythmia or myocardial infarction less than 2 weeks old. Six patients died within 27 months of follow-up; 4 from sudden death and 2 from acute myocardial infarction. Three of the 11 surviving patients had remission of their VT within 1 week after the diagnosis of incessant VT. In 3 other patients in whom antiarrhythmic drugs were discontinued during follow-up because of adverse effects of the drugs or other medical reasons, 2 were found in remission. In the remaining 5 alive patients, deliberate attempts were made to discontinue the antiarrhythmic drugs; 4 of these patients were found in remission when the drugs were discontinued. Thus, 9 of these patients (53%) with incessant VT had remission over a mean follow-up of 55 +/- 34 months after discontinuation of the antiarrhythmic drugs. The probability of remission in patients surviving incessant VT warrants trials of discontinuation of antiarrhythmic drugs in these patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Illinois College of Medicine, Chicago.
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Hariman
authors.forename: D Y
authors.initials: DY
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Gallastegui
authors.forename: K J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Beckman
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Bauman
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002304:Cardiac Pacing, Artificial; D004562:Electrocardiography; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006352:Heart Ventricles; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013610:Tachycardia / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology*