title: Prognostic value of programmed electrical stimulation in Brugada syndrome: 20 years experience.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The prognostic value of electrophysiological investigations in individuals with Brugada syndrome remains controversial. Different groups have published contradictory data. Long-term follow-up is needed to clarify this issue.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Patients presenting with spontaneous or drug-induced Brugada type I ECG and in whom programmed electric stimulation was performed at our institution were considered eligible for this study. A total of 403 consecutive patients (235 males, 58.2%; mean age, 43.2±16.2 years) were included. Ventricular arrhythmias during programmed electric stimulation were induced in 73 (18.1%) patients. After a mean follow-up time of 74.3±57.3 months (median 57.3), 25 arrhythmic events occurred (16 in the inducible group and 9 in the noninducible). Ventricular arrhythmias inducibility presented a hazard ratio for events of 8.3 (95% confidence interval, 3.6-19.4), P<0.01.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Programmed ventricular stimulation of the heart is a good predictor of outcome in individuals with Brugada syndrome. It might be of special value to guide further management when performed in asymptomatic individuals. The overall accuracy of the test makes it a suitable screening tool to reassure noninducible asymptomatic individuals.
authors.affiliation: From the Heart Rhythm Management Centre (J.S., G. Conte, G. Ciconte, C.d.A., G.-B.C., G.B., G.D.G., Y.S., G.I., J.J., K.W., S.V.M., G.P., P.B.) and Cardiac Surgery Department (M.L.M., F.W.), UZ Brussel-VUB, Brussels, Belgium; and Department of Cardiology, Erasme University Hospital-ULB, Brussels, Belgium (R.C.-A.). jasieira@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Juan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sieira
authors.affiliation: From the Heart Rhythm Management Centre (J.S., G. Conte, G. Ciconte, C.d.A., G.-B.C., G.B., G.D.G., Y.S., G.I., J.J., K.W., S.V.M., G.P., P.B.) and Cardiac Surgery Department (M.L.M., F.W.), UZ Brussel-VUB, Brussels, Belgium; and Department of Cardiology, Erasme University Hospital-ULB, Brussels, Belgium (R.C.-A.).
authors.forename: Giulio
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Conte
authors.affiliation: From the Heart Rhythm Management Centre (J.S., G. Conte, G. Ciconte, C.d.A., G.-B.C., G.B., G.D.G., Y.S., G.I., J.J., K.W., S.V.M., G.P., P.B.) and Cardiac Surgery Department (M.L.M., F.W.), UZ Brussel-VUB, Brussels, Belgium; and Department of Cardiology, Erasme University Hospital-ULB, Brussels, Belgium (R.C.-A.).
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ciconte
authors.affiliation: From the Heart Rhythm Management Centre (J.S., G. Conte, G. Ciconte, C.d.A., G.-B.C., G.B., G.D.G., Y.S., G.I., J.J., K.W., S.V.M., G.P., P.B.) and Cardiac Surgery Department (M.L.M., F.W.), UZ Brussel-VUB, Brussels, Belgium; and Department of Cardiology, Erasme University Hospital-ULB, Brussels, Belgium (R.C.-A.).
authors.forename: Carlo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: de Asmundis
authors.affiliation: From the Heart Rhythm Management Centre (J.S., G. Conte, G. Ciconte, C.d.A., G.-B.C., G.B., G.D.G., Y.S., G.I., J.J., K.W., S.V.M., G.P., P.B.) and Cardiac Surgery Department (M.L.M., F.W.), UZ Brussel-VUB, Brussels, Belgium; and Department of Cardiology, Erasme University Hospital-ULB, Brussels, Belgium (R.C.-A.).
authors.forename: Gian-Battista
authors.initials: GB
authors.lastname: Chierchia
authors.affiliation: From the Heart Rhythm Management Centre (J.S., G. Conte, G. Ciconte, C.d.A., G.-B.C., G.B., G.D.G., Y.S., G.I., J.J., K.W., S.V.M., G.P., P.B.) and Cardiac Surgery Department (M.L.M., F.W.), UZ Brussel-VUB, Brussels, Belgium; and Department of Cardiology, Erasme University Hospital-ULB, Brussels, Belgium (R.C.-A.).
authors.forename: Giannis
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Baltogiannis
authors.affiliation: From the Heart Rhythm Management Centre (J.S., G. Conte, G. Ciconte, C.d.A., G.-B.C., G.B., G.D.G., Y.S., G.I., J.J., K.W., S.V.M., G.P., P.B.) and Cardiac Surgery Department (M.L.M., F.W.), UZ Brussel-VUB, Brussels, Belgium; and Department of Cardiology, Erasme University Hospital-ULB, Brussels, Belgium (R.C.-A.).
authors.forename: Giacomo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Di Giovanni
authors.affiliation: From the Heart Rhythm Management Centre (J.S., G. Conte, G. Ciconte, C.d.A., G.-B.C., G.B., G.D.G., Y.S., G.I., J.J., K.W., S.V.M., G.P., P.B.) and Cardiac Surgery Department (M.L.M., F.W.), UZ Brussel-VUB, Brussels, Belgium; and Department of Cardiology, Erasme University Hospital-ULB, Brussels, Belgium (R.C.-A.).
authors.forename: Yukio
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Saitoh
authors.affiliation: From the Heart Rhythm Management Centre (J.S., G. Conte, G. Ciconte, C.d.A., G.-B.C., G.B., G.D.G., Y.S., G.I., J.J., K.W., S.V.M., G.P., P.B.) and Cardiac Surgery Department (M.L.M., F.W.), UZ Brussel-VUB, Brussels, Belgium; and Department of Cardiology, Erasme University Hospital-ULB, Brussels, Belgium (R.C.-A.).
authors.forename: Ghazala
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Irfan
authors.affiliation: From the Heart Rhythm Management Centre (J.S., G. Conte, G. Ciconte, C.d.A., G.-B.C., G.B., G.D.G., Y.S., G.I., J.J., K.W., S.V.M., G.P., P.B.) and Cardiac Surgery Department (M.L.M., F.W.), UZ Brussel-VUB, Brussels, Belgium; and Department of Cardiology, Erasme University Hospital-ULB, Brussels, Belgium (R.C.-A.).
authors.forename: Ruben
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Casado-Arroyo
authors.affiliation: From the Heart Rhythm Management Centre (J.S., G. Conte, G. Ciconte, C.d.A., G.-B.C., G.B., G.D.G., Y.S., G.I., J.J., K.W., S.V.M., G.P., P.B.) and Cardiac Surgery Department (M.L.M., F.W.), UZ Brussel-VUB, Brussels, Belgium; and Department of Cardiology, Erasme University Hospital-ULB, Brussels, Belgium (R.C.-A.).
authors.forename: Justo
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Juliá
authors.affiliation: From the Heart Rhythm Management Centre (J.S., G. Conte, G. Ciconte, C.d.A., G.-B.C., G.B., G.D.G., Y.S., G.I., J.J., K.W., S.V.M., G.P., P.B.) and Cardiac Surgery Department (M.L.M., F.W.), UZ Brussel-VUB, Brussels, Belgium; and Department of Cardiology, Erasme University Hospital-ULB, Brussels, Belgium (R.C.-A.).
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: La Meir
authors.affiliation: From the Heart Rhythm Management Centre (J.S., G. Conte, G. Ciconte, C.d.A., G.-B.C., G.B., G.D.G., Y.S., G.I., J.J., K.W., S.V.M., G.P., P.B.) and Cardiac Surgery Department (M.L.M., F.W.), UZ Brussel-VUB, Brussels, Belgium; and Department of Cardiology, Erasme University Hospital-ULB, Brussels, Belgium (R.C.-A.).
authors.forename: Francis
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Wellens
authors.affiliation: From the Heart Rhythm Management Centre (J.S., G. Conte, G. Ciconte, C.d.A., G.-B.C., G.B., G.D.G., Y.S., G.I., J.J., K.W., S.V.M., G.P., P.B.) and Cardiac Surgery Department (M.L.M., F.W.), UZ Brussel-VUB, Brussels, Belgium; and Department of Cardiology, Erasme University Hospital-ULB, Brussels, Belgium (R.C.-A.).
authors.forename: Kristel
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Wauters
authors.affiliation: From the Heart Rhythm Management Centre (J.S., G. Conte, G. Ciconte, C.d.A., G.-B.C., G.B., G.D.G., Y.S., G.I., J.J., K.W., S.V.M., G.P., P.B.) and Cardiac Surgery Department (M.L.M., F.W.), UZ Brussel-VUB, Brussels, Belgium; and Department of Cardiology, Erasme University Hospital-ULB, Brussels, Belgium (R.C.-A.).
authors.forename: Sophie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Van Malderen
authors.affiliation: From the Heart Rhythm Management Centre (J.S., G. Conte, G. Ciconte, C.d.A., G.-B.C., G.B., G.D.G., Y.S., G.I., J.J., K.W., S.V.M., G.P., P.B.) and Cardiac Surgery Department (M.L.M., F.W.), UZ Brussel-VUB, Brussels, Belgium; and Department of Cardiology, Erasme University Hospital-ULB, Brussels, Belgium (R.C.-A.).
authors.forename: Gudrun
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pappaert
authors.affiliation: From the Heart Rhythm Management Centre (J.S., G. Conte, G. Ciconte, C.d.A., G.-B.C., G.B., G.D.G., Y.S., G.I., J.J., K.W., S.V.M., G.P., P.B.) and Cardiac Surgery Department (M.L.M., F.W.), UZ Brussel-VUB, Brussels, Belgium; and Department of Cardiology, Erasme University Hospital-ULB, Brussels, Belgium (R.C.-A.).
authors.forename: Pedro
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Brugada
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D053840:Brugada Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D017147:Defibrillators, Implantable; D004558:Electric Stimulation / Q000379:methods*; D004562:Electrocardiography; D022062:Electrophysiologic Techniques, Cardiac; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005544:Forecasting; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Brugada syndrome; arrhythmias; cardiac; electrophysiology; prognosis