title: Management of pace-terminated ventricular arrhythmias.
abstract: An implantable-cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) can terminate ventricular arrhythmias by delivering a shock or by antitachycardia pacing (ATP). The ATP works by capturing the excitable gap and disrupting re-entrant ventricular arrhythmias. Multiple studies have demonstrated that ATP is successful at terminating ventricular tachycardia (VT). Shocks from the ICD are associated with higher mortality. The data are conflicting about whether appropriate ATP is associated with higher mortality. In a patient with VT that is treated by ATP, the patient's guideline-based heart failure medications should be maximized. The use of VT ablation after appropriate and successful ATP requires additional studies.
authors: Electrophysiology Section, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA.
authors: Sean D
authors: SD
authors: Pokorney
authors: Electrophysiology Section, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA. Electronic address: alkha001@mc.duke.edu.
authors: Sana M
authors: SM
authors: Al-Khatib
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002304:Cardiac Pacing, Artificial; D003643:Death; D017147:Defibrillators, Implantable; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017180:Tachycardia, Ventricular / Q000628:therapy*; D014693:Ventricular Fibrillation / Q000628:therapy
keywords: Antitachycardia pacing; Implantable cardioverter-defibrillator; Sudden cardiac death; Ventricular fibrillation; Ventricular tachycardia