DETERMINANTS OF INDUCIBLE VENTRICULAR-TACHYCARDIA IN PATIENTS WITH CLINICAL VENTRICULAR TACHYARRHYTHMIA AND NO APPARENT STRUCTURAL HEART-DISEASE

Thirty-seven patients with symptomatic ventricular tachyarrhythmia and no apparent structural heart disease were evaluated with multiple car diovascular tests to establish the relationship between the results of programmed electric stimulation and other clinical and arrhythmia var iables. Of 37 patients, 12 (32%) had inducible sustained ventricular t achycardia. Factors associated with the results of programmed electric stimulation included a history of ventricular tachycardia greater-tha n-or-equal-to 30 seconds requiring intervention for termination and gl obal right heart abnormality documented by echocardiography. During tr eatment for a mean follow-up of 50 months, 29 patients did well, 6 pat ients had recurrences of major arrhythmia symptoms, 1 was lost to foll ow-up and 1 had a noncardiac death. Those patients with an adverse out come were more likely to have inducible ventricular tachycardia. Thus certain clinical and echocardiographic data are associated with the re sults of programmed electric stimulation, which in turn have important prognostic value in this group of patients. Sustained ventricular tac hycardia is unlikely to be induced in patients with no evidence of str uctural heart disease and clinical nonsustained ventricular tachycardi a.