title: Risk stratification and prognosis of patients treated with amiodarone for malignant ventricular tachyarrhythmias after myocardial infarction.
abstract: Seventy-seven consecutive patients (mean age 62 years) with episodes of sustained ventricular tachycardia (VT) or ventricular fibrillation (VF) after acute myocardial infarction (AMI) were evaluated to assess the long-term efficacy of first-line amiodarone treatment and to identify clinical and laboratory factors associated with a high risk of death or arrhythmia recurrence. The presenting arrhythmia was VT in 41 cases (53%) and VF in 36 (47%). VT or VF occurred between the 4th and 90th day after AMI in 45 cases (58%) and later (more than 90 days) in the remaining 32 (42%). The mean number of arrhythmic episodes was 4.2. Forty patients (52%) were in New York Heart Association (NYHA) class I or II, and 37 (48%) were in class III or IV. Mean left ventricular ejection fraction was 32%; ventricular aneurysm was present in 41 subjects. Most patients had multivessel coronary artery disease. Amiodarone was administered as a first-choice drug in all patients, in combination with other antiarrhythmic drugs in 14. By ventricular stimulation after loading doses of amiodarone, sustained VT was inducible in 46 (62%) and noninducible in 28 (38%). During a mean follow-up of 28 months the incidence of cardiac mortality at 1, 3, and 5 years was 21%, 37%, and 47%; of sudden death was 7%, 19%, and 23%; of nonfatal VT recurrence was 13%, 13%, and 24%, respectively. The overall incidence of amiodarone side effects was 35%.2+ was a weak predictor only by univariate analysis (p = 0.05).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
authors.affiliation: Istituto di Cardiologia, Ospedale S.M. della Misericordia, Udine, Italy.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Proclemer
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Facchin
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Vanuzzo
authors.forename: G A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Feruglio
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000638:Amiodarone / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000790:Angiocardiography; D004594:Electrophysiology; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000150:complications*; D011379:Prognosis; D012008:Recurrence; D012306:Risk; D017180:Tachycardia, Ventricular / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology / Q000401:mortality; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014693:Ventricular Fibrillation / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology / Q000401:mortality
chemical_list: D000638:Amiodarone