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European Heart Journal Advance Access originally published online on September 23, 2005
European Heart Journal 2006 27(1):89-95; doi:10.1093/eurheartj/ehi500
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© The European Society of Cardiology 2005. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org

Syncope following cardioverter defibrillator implantation in patients with spontaneous syncopal monomorphic ventricular tachycardia

Mauricio Abello, José L. Merino*, Rafael Peinado, Mariana Gnoatto, Miguel A. Arias, Mar Gonzalez-Vasserot and José A. Sobrino

Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiology Laboratory, Cardiology Division, ‘La Paz’ University Hospital, Paseo de la Castellana 261, Madrid 28046, Spain

Received 29 September 2004; revised 9 July 2005; accepted 25 August 2005; online publish-ahead-of-print 23 September 2005.

* Corresponding author. Tel/fax: +34 91 7277564. E-mail address: jlmerino{at}secardiologia.es

Aims We sought to determine the incidence, mechanisms, and time to syncope recurrence in patients with spontaneous syncopal monomorphic ventricular tachycardia (SyMVT) treated with an implantable cardiac defibrillator (ICD).

Methods and results Incidence and causes of syncope following ICD implantation in consecutive patients (n=26) with spontaneous SyMVT were compared with those found in consecutive patients (n=50) with spontaneous non-syncopal monomorphic ventricular tachycardia (NSyMVT). Patients with SyMVT had a higher incidence of syncope (46% patients) than those with NSyMVT (2% patients) at 31±21 and 34±23 months follow-up, respectively (hazard ratio, 0.19; 95% confidence interval, 0.04–0.42; P=0.0001). Among the former, four patients (15%) had non-arrhythmic syncope and eight patients had arrhythmic syncope (31%), which was associated with either ICD proarrhythmia (seven episodes of VT acceleration or VF degeneration by ATP or low/high-energy shocks in three patients) or spontaneous VT and VF (five episodes in five patients). Median time to the first arrhythmic syncope was 376 days. Arrhythmic syncope presented after a first non-syncopal VT recurrence in six patients (75%).

Conclusion Syncope following ICD implantation is common in patients with SyMVT in contrast to patients with NSyMVT. Late syncope presentation supports reassessment of driving restrictions in this setting.

Key Words: Syncope • Tachyarrhythmias • Defibrillation


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