Donate Help Contact The AHA Sign In Home
American Heart Association
Circulation
Search: search_blue_button Advanced Search
Circulation. 1996;93:753-762

This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow Request Permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Villacastín, J.
Right arrow Articles by Luis Delcán, J.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Villacastín, J.
Right arrow Articles by Luis Delcán, J.
Right arrowPubmed/NCBI databases
Medline Plus Health Information
*Pacemakers and Implantable Defibrillators

(Circulation. 1996;93:753-762.)
© 1996 American Heart Association, Inc.


Articles

Incidence and Clinical Significance of Multiple Consecutive, Appropriate, High-Energy Discharges in Patients With Implanted Cardioverter-Defibrillators

Presented in part at the Scientific Sessions of the American College of Cardiology, Anaheim, Calif, March 1993.

Julián Villacastín, MD; Jesús Almendral, MD; Angel Arenal, MD; José Albertos, MD; José Ormaetxe, MD; Rafael Peinado, MD; Héctor Bueno, MD; Jose L. Merino, MD; Agustín Pastor, MD; Olga Medina, MD; Luis Tercedor, MD; Francisco Jiménez, MD; Juan Luis Delcán, MD

From the Department of Cardiology, Hospital General Gregorio Marañón, Facultad de Medicina de la Universidad Complutense, Madrid, Spain.

Correspondence to Jesús Almendral, MD, Laboratorio de Electrofisiología, Departamento de Cardiología, Hospital General Gregorio Marañón (Planta 5), Calle Dr Esquerdo 46, 28007 Madrid, Spain.

Background Some patients with an automatic implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) suffer multiple appropriate, consecutive, high-energy discharges (MCDs) during follow-up. Such events might represent resistant ventricular arrhythmias and might have prognostic significance.

Methods and Results Eighty consecutive patients with an ICD were followed up for up to 82 months (mean, 21±19 months). Thirty-eight patients had survived an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest and 42 had recurrent ventricular tachycardia. During follow-up, 16 patients had MCD (group A), 26 patients had episodes of single appropriate discharges (group B), and 38 patients had no appropriate discharges (group C). Group A patients had worse functional status (P=.001), lower left ventricular ejection fractions (LVEFs) (P=.001), and lower survival rates (log rank, P=.003) than the remaining two groups of patients. Cox analysis showed LVEF (P=.001) to be an independent predictor of MCD. Independent predictors of death or heart transplant were MCD (P=.001), female sex (P=.001), age (P=.001), history of cardiac arrest (P=.003), and functional status (P=.003). The only independent predictor of total mortality was female sex (P=.002). Independent predictors of cardiac death were MCD (P=.007) and female sex (P=.018). Independent predictors of arrhythmic death were age (P=.001), female sex (P=.02), and MCD (P=.023).

Conclusions In patients with an ICD, the development of MCD is an independent predictor of cardiac and arrhythmic mortality. If this finding is confirmed in larger studies, it may help to identify patients in whom other therapeutic alternatives, ie, heart transplantation, should be considered during follow-up after ICD implantation.


Key Words: defibrillation • survival • prognosis • tachyarrhythmias




This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
CirculationHome page
J. L. Sapp
Venturing Into the Storm
Circulation, January 29, 2008; 117(4): 456 - 457.
[Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
CirculationHome page
C. Carbucicchio, M. Santamaria, N. Trevisi, G. Maccabelli, F. Giraldi, G. Fassini, S. Riva, M. Moltrasio, M. Cireddu, F. Veglia, et al.
Catheter Ablation for the Treatment of Electrical Storm in Patients With Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillators: Short- and Long-Term Outcomes in a Prospective Single-Center Study
Circulation, January 29, 2008; 117(4): 462 - 469.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
NEJMHome page
V. Y. Reddy, M. R. Reynolds, P. Neuzil, A. W. Richardson, M. Taborsky, K. Jongnarangsin, S. Kralovec, L. Sediva, J. N. Ruskin, and M. E. Josephson
Prophylactic Catheter Ablation for the Prevention of Defibrillator Therapy
N. Engl. J. Med., December 27, 2007; 357(26): 2657 - 2665.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
CirculationHome page
J. Almendral and M. E. Josephson
All Patients With Hemodynamically Tolerated Postinfarction Ventricular Tachycardia Do Not Require an Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator
Circulation, September 4, 2007; 116(10): 1204 - 1212.
[Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
JAMAHome page
A. K. Gehi, D. Mehta, and J. A. Gomes
Evaluation and Management of Patients After Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator Shock
JAMA, December 20, 2006; 296(23): 2839 - 2847.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
J Am Coll CardiolHome page
A. Elhendy, S. Chapman, T. R. Porter, and J. Windle
Association of Myocardial Ischemia With Mortality and Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator Therapy in Patients With Coronary Artery Disease at Risk of Arrhythmic Death
J. Am. Coll. Cardiol., November 1, 2005; 46(9): 1721 - 1726.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
EuropaceHome page
L.J. Jordaens and J.M. Mekel
Electrical storm in the ICD era
Europace, January 1, 2005; 7(2): 181 - 183.
[Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
EuropaceHome page
K. A. Gatzoulis, G. K. Andrikopoulos, T. Apostolopoulos, E. Sotiropoulos, G. Zervopoulos, J. Antoniou, S. Brili, and C. I. Stefanadis
Electrical storm is an independent predictor of adverse long-term outcome in the era of implantable defibrillator therapy
Europace, January 1, 2005; 7(2): 184 - 192.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
CirculationHome page
P. Dorian, M. Borggrefe, H. R. Al-Khalidi, S. H. Hohnloser, J. M. Brum, D. S. Tatla, J. Brachmann, R. J. Myerburg, D. S. Cannom, M. van der Laan, et al.
Placebo-Controlled, Randomized Clinical Trial of Azimilide for Prevention of Ventricular Tachyarrhythmias in Patients With an Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator
Circulation, December 14, 2004; 110(24): 3646 - 3654.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Cardiovasc ResHome page
G. Gronefeld and S. H Hohnloser
What do implantable cardioverter/defibrillators teach us about the mechanisms of sudden cardiac death?
Cardiovasc Res, May 1, 2001; 50(2): 232 - 241.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
EuropaceHome page
S. Nisam
A Prophylactic ICD? Who are the patients? What is the device?
Europace, January 1, 2001; 3(4): 269 - 274.
[PDF]


Home page
J Am Coll CardiolHome page
D. Bansch, D. Bocker, J.u. Brunn, M. Weber, G.u. Breithardt, and M. Block
Clusters of ventricular tachycardias signify impaired survival in patients with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy and implantable cardioverter defibrillators
J. Am. Coll. Cardiol., August 1, 2000; 36(2): 566 - 573.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
EuropaceHome page
M. Greene, D. Newman, M. Geist, M. Paquette, D. Heng, and P. Dorian
Is electrical storm in ICD patients the sign of a dying heart?: Outcome of patients with clusters of ventricular tachyarrhythmias
Europace, January 1, 2000; 2(3): 263 - 269.
[Abstract] [PDF]


Home page
J Am Coll CardiolHome page
A. Pacifico, L. L. Ferlic, F.e. R. Cedillo-Salazar, N. Nasir Jr, T. K. Doyle, and P. D. Henry
Shocks as predictors of survival in patients with implantable cardioverter-defibrillators
J. Am. Coll. Cardiol., July 1, 1999; 34(1): 204 - 210.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
J Am Coll CardiolHome page
S. C. Credner, T. Klingenheben, O. Mauss, C. Sticherling, and S. H. Hohnloser
Electrical storm in patients with transvenous implantable cardioverter-defibrillators: Incidence, management and prognostic implications
J. Am. Coll. Cardiol., December 1, 1998; 32(7): 1909 - 1915.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
CirculationHome page
C. D. Swerdlow, C. T. Peter, R. M. Kass, E. S. Gang, W. J. Mandel, C. Hwang, D. J. Martin, and P.-S. Chen
Programming of Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillators on the Basis of the Upper Limit of Vulnerability
Circulation, March 18, 1997; 95(6): 1497 - 1504.
[Abstract] [Full Text]


Home page
CirculationHome page
A. Pacifico, K. R. Wheelan, N. Nasir, P. J. Wells, T. K. Doyle, S. A. Johnson, and P. D. Henry
Long-term Follow-up of Cardioverter-Defibrillator Implanted Under Conscious Sedation in Prepectoral Subfascial Position
Circulation, February 18, 1997; 95(4): 946 - 950.
[Abstract] [Full Text]