title: Long-Term Outcome of Patients Initially Diagnosed With Idiopathic Ventricular Fibrillation: A Descriptive Study.
abstract: Idiopathic ventricular fibrillation (IVF) is a rare cause of sudden cardiac arrest. Limited data are available on the long-term outcome of IVF patients.
  
  
  
  In this retrospective cohort study, 107 consecutive patients with an initial diagnosis of IVF were analyzed (age at index event 40.4 years, 60% male). Missing diagnostic data were acquired during follow-up, including genetic testing, to exclude underlying disease. A specific diagnosis was revealed in 22 of 107 patients (21%) during a median follow-up of 10.2 years. Mortality rate was 9% in IVF patients (8/85). Appropriate implantable cardioverter-defibrillator therapy was delivered in 23 patients (29%) of 78 IVF patients with an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator, with a median of 3 appropriate shocks per patient.
  
  
  
  One fifth of the patients initially diagnosed with IVF reveal a specific diagnosis during long-term follow-up. Additional diagnostic testing, including genetic testing, contributes to the detection of specific diseases. The recurrence rate of ventricular arrhythmias in IVF patients is high. Our data show the importance of thorough follow-up and reassessment of diagnosis in IVF patients.
authors.affiliation: From the Departments of Cardiology (M.V., J.F.v.d.H., P.A.D., P.L., R.J.H.) and Clinical Genetics (J.J.v.d.S.), University Medical Centre, Utrecht, The Netherlands; Department of Internal Medicine and Cardiology, Bergman Clinics, Bilthoven, The Netherlands (M.V., R.J.H.); and Department of Clinical and Experimental Cardiology, Heart Centre, AMC, Amsterdam, The Netherlands (A.A.W.). m.visser-14@umcutrecht.nl.
authors.forename: Marloes
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Visser
authors.affiliation: From the Departments of Cardiology (M.V., J.F.v.d.H., P.A.D., P.L., R.J.H.) and Clinical Genetics (J.J.v.d.S.), University Medical Centre, Utrecht, The Netherlands; Department of Internal Medicine and Cardiology, Bergman Clinics, Bilthoven, The Netherlands (M.V., R.J.H.); and Department of Clinical and Experimental Cardiology, Heart Centre, AMC, Amsterdam, The Netherlands (A.A.W.).
authors.forename: Jeroen F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: van der Heijden
authors.affiliation: From the Departments of Cardiology (M.V., J.F.v.d.H., P.A.D., P.L., R.J.H.) and Clinical Genetics (J.J.v.d.S.), University Medical Centre, Utrecht, The Netherlands; Department of Internal Medicine and Cardiology, Bergman Clinics, Bilthoven, The Netherlands (M.V., R.J.H.); and Department of Clinical and Experimental Cardiology, Heart Centre, AMC, Amsterdam, The Netherlands (A.A.W.).
authors.forename: Jasper J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: van der Smagt
authors.affiliation: From the Departments of Cardiology (M.V., J.F.v.d.H., P.A.D., P.L., R.J.H.) and Clinical Genetics (J.J.v.d.S.), University Medical Centre, Utrecht, The Netherlands; Department of Internal Medicine and Cardiology, Bergman Clinics, Bilthoven, The Netherlands (M.V., R.J.H.); and Department of Clinical and Experimental Cardiology, Heart Centre, AMC, Amsterdam, The Netherlands (A.A.W.).
authors.forename: Pieter A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Doevendans
authors.affiliation: From the Departments of Cardiology (M.V., J.F.v.d.H., P.A.D., P.L., R.J.H.) and Clinical Genetics (J.J.v.d.S.), University Medical Centre, Utrecht, The Netherlands; Department of Internal Medicine and Cardiology, Bergman Clinics, Bilthoven, The Netherlands (M.V., R.J.H.); and Department of Clinical and Experimental Cardiology, Heart Centre, AMC, Amsterdam, The Netherlands (A.A.W.).
authors.forename: Arthur A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Wilde
authors.affiliation: From the Departments of Cardiology (M.V., J.F.v.d.H., P.A.D., P.L., R.J.H.) and Clinical Genetics (J.J.v.d.S.), University Medical Centre, Utrecht, The Netherlands; Department of Internal Medicine and Cardiology, Bergman Clinics, Bilthoven, The Netherlands (M.V., R.J.H.); and Department of Clinical and Experimental Cardiology, Heart Centre, AMC, Amsterdam, The Netherlands (A.A.W.).
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Loh
authors.affiliation: From the Departments of Cardiology (M.V., J.F.v.d.H., P.A.D., P.L., R.J.H.) and Clinical Genetics (J.J.v.d.S.), University Medical Centre, Utrecht, The Netherlands; Department of Internal Medicine and Cardiology, Bergman Clinics, Bilthoven, The Netherlands (M.V., R.J.H.); and Department of Clinical and Experimental Cardiology, Heart Centre, AMC, Amsterdam, The Netherlands (A.A.W.).
authors.forename: Rutger J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Hassink
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016757:Death, Sudden, Cardiac / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D017147:Defibrillators, Implantable; D005260:Female; D005820:Genetic Testing; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012008:Recurrence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014693:Ventricular Fibrillation / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*
keywords: follow-up study; genetic testing; sudden cardiac death; ventricular fibrillation