title: Increased incidence of tachyarrhythmias and heart failure hospitalization in patients with implanted cardiac devices after the great East Japan earthquake disaster.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  After the East Japan Earthquake disaster there may have been a deterioration of patients with cardiovascular diseases.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We examined the data from 189 consecutive patients implanted with cardiovascular devices for the 6-month period before and after the Earthquake. In 170 patients with defibrillators, the number who experienced tachyarrhythmias increased significantly after the Earthquake (28 ± 5 vs. 34 ± 3 patients/month, P<0.05). In 74 patients with biventricular pacemakers, the number of heart failure hospitalizations significantly increased after the Earthquake (1.2 ± 1.0 vs. 2.7 ± 1.2 patients/month, P<0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The East Japan Earthquake disaster unfavorably affected patients implanted with defibrillators or biventricular pacemakers.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, 1-1 Seiryo-machi, Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-8574, Japan. vdm@cardio.med.tohoku.ac.jp
authors.forename: Makoto
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nakano
authors.forename: Masateru
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kondo
authors.forename: Yuji
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wakayama
authors.forename: Akiko
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kawana
authors.forename: Yuhi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hasebe
authors.forename: Mohamed Abdel
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Shafee
authors.forename: Koji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Fukuda
authors.forename: Hiroaki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Shimokawa
mesh_terms: D001145:Arrhythmias, Cardiac / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy; D017147:Defibrillators, Implantable; D055866:Earthquakes; D005260:Female; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D010138:Pacemaker, Artificial; D013610:Tachycardia / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy