A history of heart failure predicts arrhythmia treatment efficacy: Data from the Antiarrythmics versus Implantable Defibrillators (AVID) Study

• Published in: The American heart journal 2006-10, Vol.152 (4), p.724-730
• Main Authors: Brodsky, Michael A., McAnulty, John, Zipes, Douglas P., Baessler, Christina, Hallstrom, Alfred P.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aged; Amiodarone - therapeutic use; Anti-Arrhythmia Agents - therapeutic use; Arrhythmias, Cardiac - complications; Arrhythmias, Cardiac - mortality; Arrhythmias, Cardiac - therapy; Biological and medical sciences; Cardiac dysrhythmias; Cardiology. Vascular system; Cardiomyopathy; Cardiovascular disease; Defibrillators, Implantable; Diabetes; Enzymes; Female; Heart; Heart attacks; Heart failure; Heart Failure - complications; Heart Failure - mortality; Heart failure, cardiogenic pulmonary edema, cardiac enlargement; Heart surgery; Humans; Hypertension; Male; Medical Records; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Mortality; Multicenter Studies as Topic; Multivariate analysis; Prognosis; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; Stroke Volume; Survival Analysis; Treatment Outcome; Ventricular Function, Left
• ISSN: 0002-8703; 1097-6744
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ahj.2006.04.021

In survivors of life-threatening ventricular tachycardia (VT), a history of CHF (HxCHF) before the VT episode may provide different prognostic information than their measured left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). We evaluated outcomes from patients in the AVID study. Patients were included in the study if they presented with ventricular fibrillation, VT with syncope or VT with hemodynamic compromise, and LVEF ≤40%. Treatment options included implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) or antiarrhythmic drugs (AAD), usually amiodarone. As expected, a HxCHF is associated with an increased and high risk of arrhythmic and nonarrhythmic death. However, an interaction was observed between arrhythmia treatment (ICD or AAD) and HxCHF status: the survival advantage with an ICD, as compared with AAD therapy, is largely restricted to HxCHF patients. The ICD is no better than AAD therapy in preventing arrhythmic death in patients with no HxCHF. In this data set, a HxCHF is somewhat more accurate in predicting prognosis and the response to therapy than a reduced LVEF.