Identifying patients at low risk of death from cardiac failure after operation for postinfarct ventricular tachycardia.
BACKGROUND
In unselected patients, cardiac failure accounted for most deaths after antiarrhythmic operation (ER) for postinfarction ventricular tachycardia (VT). This study aimed to determine whether patients at low risk of this outcome could be predicted from a retrospective analysis of variables from 100 consecutive ER patients.


METHODS
Thirteen variables suggested by other researchers as predictive of outcome were analyzed. At the time of study, ER was the only therapy available for drug refractory VT.


RESULTS
Only emergency ER, wall motion score less than 3 and Killip classification were significantly related to death from cardiac failure. The lack of correlation between emergency ER and variables of ER timing, VT less than 24 hours of ER or VT type implies that the need for emergency ER is also related to ventricular dysfunction. Multivariate analysis identified a group at particularly low risk of death with a specificity of 95%.


CONCLUSIONS
Patients at low risk of death after ER can be identified prospectively. In the implantable cardioverter defibrillator era, elective ER is best reserved for such patients. Emergency ER may still be justified in younger patients without comorbidity who will die of VT without it.
Bourke
J P
JP
Freeman Hospital and Department of Medical Statistics, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom.
Gray
J
J
Hilton
C J
CJ
Furniss
S S
SS
Khan
S
S
McComb
J M
JM
Campbell
R W
RW
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002303:Cardiac Output, Low / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000401:mortality; D002423:Cause of Death; D004630:Emergencies; D004699:Endocardium / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000401:mortality*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000401:mortality*; D012086:Reoperation; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D015996:Survival Rate; D017180:Tachycardia, Ventricular / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*; D016896:Treatment Outcome