Risk factors and prevention of sudden cardiac death in patients with ventricular tachycardia after myocardial infarct

UNLABELLED: The optimal therapeutic procedure for prevention of sudden cardiac death (SCD) after myocardial infarction involves identification of the patients with a high risk of malignant ventricular arrhythmias using non-invasive risk markers, invasive electrophysiological evaluation of high risk patients, selection of treatment (ICD, RFTA, antiarrhythmics) and evaluation of the effectiveness of treatment. The objective of this work is retrospective evaluation of the incidence of risk markers of sudden cardiac death and the importance of programmed ventricular stimulation for the prognosis of patients with malignant ventricular arrhythmias after myocardial infarction. RESULTS: 1. Retrospective analysis of 87 patients with ventricular tachycardia (VT) after myocardial infarction confirmed a high incidence of non-invasive risk markers. 2. For the long-term course a combination of the left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) 80 ms). The absence of ventricular extrasystoles on the Holter monitor does not predict the course without malignant arrhythmical episodes. 3. There is a statistically significant relation to the inducibility of BP during programmed ventricular stimulation with LVEF, persisting BP, RMS voltage of the terminal 40 ms (RMS40) and QT dispersion. 4. The inducibility of BP and persistence of inducibility on antiarrhytmic drugs in patients with LVEF < 40 is associated with a 14.8% incidence of SCD within four months after the first arrhythmic episode. The authors recommend to examine LVEF as the basis of risk stratification of SCD along with values of coronary reserve after myocardial infarction. In patients with LVEF (they recommend to examine Holter s monitor (assessment of HRV and analysis of ventricular arrhythmias) and mean ECG. Abnormal late ventricular potentials, reduced HRV or BP indicate programmed ventricular stimulation.