Prognosis of patients with a first episode of sustained monomorphic ventricular tachycardia.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the cardiac mortality in patients suffering from a first episode of sustained monomorphic ventricular tachycardia (SMVT).


METHODS
100 patients less than 75 years old were evaluated during a 50-month follow-up period. Patients were classified into four groups: myocardial infarction, dilated cardiomyopathy, normal heart and miscellany. Seventeen patients underwent a cardioverter-defibrillator implantation, two heart transplant, three aneurysmectomy and 10 other types of cardiac surgical proceedings.


RESULTS
Patients with a left ventricle ejection fraction (EF)> or =50% presented a cardiac mortality of 5% compared with 38% of those with EF<50%. Etiology of underlying cardiomyopathy with an EF> or =50% was associated with a cardiac mortality of 5% (normal heart), 5% (myocardial infarction) and 9% (miscellany) compared to those with EF<50%: 33% (dilated cardiomyopathy) and 40% (myocardial infarction). Patients who experienced syncope during the first episode of SMVT showed a cardiac mortality of 31% compared to those 14% (P < 0.05) who did not experience. Patients with syncope, myocardial infarction and EF<50% showed a cardiac mortality of 68%.


CONCLUSIONS
The present study shows that survival after the first episode of SMVT is closely related to EF and the existence of syncope. Patients with myocardial infarction and EF<50% had a worse prognosis when the site was the inferior wall.
Department of Cardiology, Hospital de Cruces, Barakaldo, Basque Country, Spain.
A
A
Bodegas
J
J
Arana
J R
JR
Rumoroso
D
D
Rodrigo
J I
JI
Barrenetxea
D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D012307:Risk Factors; D013318:Stroke Volume; D016019:Survival Analysis; D017180:Tachycardia, Ventricular / Q000401:mortality* / Q000503:physiopathology*