title: Do statins influence the prognostic impact of non-sustained ventricular tachycardia after ST-elevation myocardial infarction?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The study evaluates the effect of statin therapy on the prognostic impact of non-sustained ventricular tachycardia (NSVT) occurring after acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI).
  
  
  RESULTS
  From the German Acute Coronary Syndrome Registry (ACOS), 3137 patients with STEMI and in-hospital Holter monitoring were analysed. Three hundred and forty-six (11.0%) patients had NSVT. When compared with patients with no documented NSVT, patients with NSVT were older, more often had myocardial infarction in their history, diabetes mellitus, and an ejection fraction <40%. Regarding frequency of drug application, medication at discharge did not (beta-blockers, ACE-inhibitors, amiodarone) or only slightly (acetylsalicylic acid, statins, and sotalol) differ between both groups. Multivariable analysis of 1 year mortality, adjusted for age, gender, diabetes, reperfusion therapy, ejection fraction <40%, and beta-blocker therapy showed the following results: In patients without statin treatment and no NSVT, 1 year mortality after STEMI was 9.2%, but increased to 25.0% [odds ratio (OR) 3.02; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.47-6.20], if NSVT were present. In patients on statin treatment and no NSVT, 1 year mortality was only 3.2%, and in the presence of NSVT 1 year mortality was not significantly increased anymore (5.3%; OR 1.03; 95% CI 0.55-1.92).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  After STEMI, only in patients not on statin treatment, the occurrence of NSVT is associated with a significant and marked increase in 1 year mortality.
authors.affiliation: Institut für Herzinfarktforschung, Klinikum der Stadt Ludwigshafen, Bremserstr. 79, D-67063 Ludwigshafen am Rhein, Herzzentrum Ludwigshafen, Germany.
authors.forename: Herbert
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Lorenz
authors.forename: Claus
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Jünger
authors.forename: Karlheinz
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Seidl
authors.forename: Anselm
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gitt
authors.forename: Steffen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Schneider
authors.forename: Rudolf
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Schiele
authors.forename: Harm
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wienbergen
authors.forename: Ralph
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Winkler
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gottwik
authors.forename: Wolfram
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Delius
authors.forename: Jochen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Senges
authors.forename: Bernhard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Rauch
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D015716:Electrocardiography, Ambulatory; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000150:complications* / Q000401:mortality; D011446:Prospective Studies; D016019:Survival Analysis; D017180:Tachycardia, Ventricular / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology / Q000401:mortality; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors