Preventing sudden death in coronary cardiomyopathy: implantable defibrillators lead the way.
The Multicenter Unsustained Tachycardia Trial (MUSTT) demonstrated that electrophysiologic testing (EP)-guided therapy significantly reduces arrhythmic death and cardiac arrest in patients with coronary artery disease, a left ventricular ejection fraction of 40% or less, nonsustained ventricular tachycardia, and inducible ventricular arrhythmia on EP testing-but only if the therapy includes an implantable defibrillator. All patients who meet the MUSTT inclusion criteria should undergo an EP test and if positive, should undergo defibrillator implantation.
Pavia
S
S
Department of Cardiology, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, OH 44195, USA.
Wilkoff
B L
BL
D001145:Arrhythmias, Cardiac / Q000517:prevention & control*; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000150:complications* / Q000628:therapy*; D016757:Death, Sudden, Cardiac / Q000517:prevention & control*; D017147:Defibrillators, Implantable; D006801:Humans; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic