Six-year survival of patients with and without painless myocardial ischemia and out-of-hospital ventricular fibrillation.
Out-of-hospital ventricular fibrillation (OHVF) is the most common cause of sudden cardiac death. Of 1,070 patients with OHVF who entered this study, 150 were discharged alive. Of this group, 120 were free of anoxic brain damage. Of these survivors, 67 (57%) had no previously demonstrated anginal symptoms. Treadmill stress testing revealed painless ST depression in 76% of these neurologically intact patients. Exercise ventriculography in a subset of 9 patients without angina before OHVF and in 6 patients with typical anginal symptoms revealed marked left ventricular dysfunction with ST depression in the absence of chest pain in all 15 patients. Sublingual nitroglycerin reversed this evidence of ischemia in the asymptomatic patients. Patients were followed for 6 years after discharge. No statistical difference in mortality could be demonstrated for patients who had previous anginal symptoms vs those who did not, nor was age a predictor of mortality. Women had the same risk of death as men at 2 years after OHVF, but a significantly higher risk by year 6. Myocardial infarction associated with OHVF did not predict lower mortality throughout the study.
Sharma
B
B
Cardiology Care Clinic, St. Joseph's Hospital, Hot Springs, Arkansas.
Wyeth
R P
RP
D003645:Death, Sudden / Q000209:etiology*; D004562:Electrocardiography; D005080:Exercise Test; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000150:complications / Q000401:mortality*; D013997:Time Factors; D014693:Ventricular Fibrillation / Q000209:etiology / Q000401:mortality* / Q000503:physiopathology