title: [How and why treat ventricular hyperkinetic arrhythmias].
abstract: The Authors present their experience, based on 180 patients, concerning the treatment of chronic ventricular tachycardia. According to the underlying etiology, about 1/3 of the cases were considered idiopathic (most of all in form of salvos), 1/3 were ischemic with a prior myocardial infarction (ventricular tachycardias in the setting of acute myocardial infarction were not considered) and 1/3 had miscellaneous cardiac diseases. Prophylactic treatment of ventricular tachycardia recurrences was divided in three steps: classic antiarrhythmic drugs used in monotherapy (Quinidine or Quinidine-like, betablockers, Verapamil); Amiodarone or recent class I antiarrhythmics (Flecainide, Propafenone); drug combinations. The results of medical treatment were different according to the underlying etiology: the first two steps achieved control of the arrhythmia in 2/3 of patients with idiopathic ventricular tachycardia, in 45% of ventricular tachycardia due to miscellaneous cardiopathy and only in 35% of cases with post-myocardial infarction ventricular tachycardia. Four patients were referred for antiarrhythmic surgery and 3 received a palliative electrical device. During a mean follow-up period of 5 years, there were no deaths in the group with idiopathic ventricular tachycardia, 10% of deaths in the group with miscellaneous cardiopathy and 17% in the group with post-myocardial infarction ventricular tachycardia. Idiopathic ventricular tachycardias seem to bear a minimal risk, and the need to treat them depends only on the severity of functional signs and on the frequency of arrhythmic episodes. In patients with severe underlying cardiopathy, particularly ischemic heart disease, active search for an effective treatment is mandatory, due to the high risk of death.
mesh_terms: D000889:Anti-Arrhythmia Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001145:Arrhythmias, Cardiac / Q000188:drug therapy*; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D006352:Heart Ventricles; D006801:Humans; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013610:Tachycardia / Q000150:complications
chemical_list: D000889:Anti-Arrhythmia Agents
vernacular_title: Come e perché trattare le aritmie ipercinetiche ventricolari.