室性心律失常药物治疗进展

室性心律失常包括室性过早搏动（室早）、室性心动过速（室速）、心室扑动（室扑）和心室颤动（室颤）等。目前,对室性心律失常的治疗主要有药物和非药物治疗。药物治疗仍是室性心律失常的主要手段之一。药物包括抗心律失常药物与有抗心律失常作用的非抗心律失常药物。     

室性心律失常的临床处理策略

临床上常见的室性心律失常通常为室性心动过速（室速）及室性早搏（室早），其他室性心律失常（室性融合波、室性逸搏、室性自身节律和心室停顿等）多数是心电图上的诊断或是继发于某些心律失常。本文重点讨论室速及室早的临床诊断和处理策略，而心室颤动（室颤）则是另一个诊断和治疗的大问题，本文只略加阐述。     

对室性心律失常的认识及药物治疗现状

室性心律失常包括室性早搏(室早)，室性心动过速(室速)，心室扑动(室颤)及心室颤动(室颤)。持续时间少于30秒的室速称非持续性室速，超过30秒称持续性室速，有时需电击终止。按室速形态可分为单形性及多形性室速。室性心律失常常发生在有器质性心脏病的患者，但也可以发生在正常人、水一电解质和(或)酸碱平衡紊乱以及应用某些药物时。室性心律失常的发生机制有折返激动(微折返及大折返)及自律性异常     

非器质性心脏病多形性室速的分类、鉴别诊断及治疗原则

持续性室性心律失常常发生在器质性心脏病基础上。而非器质性心脏病的心律失常常为单形性,虽偶可发生心脏停搏,但特发性单形性室速治疗或不治疗通常预后良好。多形性室速（ＰＶＴ）和室颤（ＶＦ）亦可发生在貌似正常者,且预后较差。１　ＰＶＴ及非器质性心脏病的定义ＰＶＴ是一种快速频率伴ＱＲＳ波形变化的室速,尖端扭转性室速（Ｔｄｐ）属发生于长Ｑ－Ｔ综合征（ＬＱＴＳ）基础上的ＰＶＴ。非器质性心脏病诊断需排除器质性心脏病,包括：（１）病史,包括未服用抗心律失常药物史。（２）生化检查需排除心肌酶谱的升高或低钾血症。（３…     

努力降低中国恶性室性心律失常的死亡率

室性心律失常包括室性早搏（室早）、室性心动过速（室速）、心室扑动（室扑）和心室颤动（室颤）。室早和室速是常见的心律失常,可出现在心脏结构正常者,更易发生于器质性心脏病患者。2005年世界卫生组织公布的资料表明,全球死于心脑血管疾病的1700万人群中,心脏性猝死（sudden cardiacdeath,SCD）占40％-50％。室速、室扑和室颤都属于恶性心律失常。临床研究证实,恶性心律失常是导致SCD的最主要原因,为65％-85％。     

自动体外除颤器临床应用的研究

目的探讨自动体外除颤器（AED）临床应用中对室性心动过速（室速）／心室颤动（室颤）的诊断能力、治疗效果和存在的问题。方法应用Power Heart全自动体外除颤器对入选的21例室速、室颤患者进行监测。结果全组发生需电击的心律失常108次，实施自动电除颤99次，发放的电除颤转复成功率96．97％（96次），无效率3．03％（3次，含1次心房扑动误治疗），误治疗率2．02％（2次）。AED电除颤成功治疗后缓慢性心律失常发生率17．71％（17次）。4例患者AED治疗后出现窦性心动过速和室速、室颤发作频度增加，发作间期缩短的现象。结论AED能够有效地自动诊断和治疗室速、室颤，但临床应用仍有较多问题需注意。     

提高恶性室性心律失常的防治水平降低心脏性猝死率

提高恶性室性心律失常的防治水平降低心脏性猝死率蒋文平恶性室性心律失常系指致命性心律失常，它包括：①心室率＞２３０ｂｐｍ的单形性室性心动过速（简称室速）。②心室率逐渐加速的室速，有发展成心室扑动（简称室扑）或心室颤动（简称室颤）的趋势。③室速伴有严重血...     

冠心病并发严重室性心律失常59例分析

目的探讨冠心病（CHD）并发严重室性心律失常的病因及治疗方法。方法59例并发严重室性心律失常的CHD住院患者，均给予冠心病二级预防治疗，常规口服β1受体阻滞剂，心功能Ⅳ级时口服胺碘酮，出现室速、室颤时静脉应用胺碘酮注射液、钾镁液、利多卡因注射液治疗，或配合电击复律。结果治疗后显效33例，有效20例，总有效率为89．8％。无效6例（10．2％），均死于反复室速、室颤。结论CHD发生严重室性心律失常主要原因为急性心肌梗死、合并高血压左室心肌肥厚、心力衰竭、电解质紊乱。     

恶性室性心律失常的药物治疗现状

恶性室性心律失常是指伴有严重血流动力学障碍的室速、室颤或具有潜在危险的室性心律失常，易恶化为室颤，均为致命性心律失常。此类心律失常常见于器质性心脏病，如冠心病、心肌梗死、非缺血性心脏病、肥厚性心脏病、致心律失常性右室发育不全、重症心肌炎，少见于无心脏结构异常者，如特发性左室室速、右室流出道室速、LQTS、Brugada综合征、特发性多形性室速、室颤等。     

充分认识室性心律失常的治疗

室性心律失常包括室性早搏（室早）,室性心动过速（室速）,心室扑动与心室颤动（室颤）。治疗室性心律失常有2个目的：减轻相关症状和降低心脏性猝死的危险性。显然,降低心脏性猝死的危险性这一目的最重要。     

Monitoring eines elektrischen Sturms bei einem Patienten mit telemedizinischer ICD-��berwachung

Due to the increasing number of patients and complexity of modern tachycardia devices, efficient therapy monitoring as offered by telemedicine monitoring is of increasing importance. The potential advantages of remote control for patient management include early detection of device-related technical problems and arrhythmias. We report the case of an ICD patient with incessant ventricular tachycardia in whom immediate arrhythmia transmission was monitored by remote control.     

右心室心肌病室性心动过速诊治的新进展

致心律失常右心室心肌病室性心动过速是青壮年猝死的常见疾病,传统的治疗方法是在药物基础上的植入埋藏式自动复律仪治疗;由于我国的经济欠发达状况,普通患者难以负担植入埋藏式自动复律仪,以及导管消融新设备的开发和消融技术的进步,导管消融技术已经是部分患者的一线治疗。现就致心律失常右心室心肌病诊治新进展进行综述。     

The future of implantable defibrillator and cardiac resynchronization therapy trials

Implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) trials were initially limited to survivors of sudden death. The focus of defibrillator trials in the last decade has been in prophylactic implantation of the device in high risk populations for the prevention of sudden cardiac death. It is the contention in this review that the new focus for implantable defibrillator trials in 2008 and beyond will be on more selective and focused use of this therapy. This could be achieved by selecting ICD patients based on their pathophysiologic and genetic risk. Increasing effort will also be placed on using the device for prevention of spontaneous malignant ventricular tachyarrhythmias and the index clinical sudden death event. Finally, implantable defibrillators will be used in combination in a “hybrid” therapy approach. ICDs will be increasingly combined either with ventricular tachycardia ablation or ventricular fibrillation ablation using catheter techniques. With the addition of cardiac resynchronization therapy in these devices, new clinical trials that use cardiac resynchronization therapy as an early intervention in specific high risk heart failure populations and refinement of the CRT technique to improved optimal results are in progress. Finally, combining ICD devices and regenerative medicine approaches to myocardial replacement therapy are being explored. Dr. Saksena is a consultant and/or investigator for Medtronic Inc., St. Jude Medical Inc., Sanofi Aventis, and Aryx Pharmaceuticals.     

Surgical therapy of ventricular arrhythmias

Since the advent of implantable cardioverters/defibrillators (ICD) and percutaneous ablation, surgery for the treatment of ventricular arrhythmia has decreased tremendously. Nevertheless, surgical treatment of ventricular arrhythmias is still required, especially for cases where ICD discharge occurs very frequently or in patients with other indications for surgery. The choice of surgical therapy may range from radiofrequency- or cryoablation of a single focus (identified either intra- operatively or percutaneously) to more extensive surgical procedures such as surgical ventricular reconstruction with endocardial resection or even resection of the right ventricle and the creation of a cavo-pulmonary circulation for malignant arrhythmias and right ventricular failure in patients with arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia. However, the choice of surgical procedure should be made based on the pathomechanism of the arrhythmia. This is important because any incision in the left or right ventricle or percutaneous ablation may also be the cause for ventricular arrhythmia. In this short review we will describe the most common underlying substrates for ventricular arrhythmia, indications for surgery, the techniques used for treatment and the results achieved. We will conclude that for most cases of patients with ventricular arrhythmia undergoing surgery, ischemia and the presence of a scar after myocardial infarction is the underlying cause and revascularization plus surgical ventricular reconstruction with endocardial resection may be the best treatment option.     

Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Cardiomyopathy

Abstract Arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC) is a major cause of sudden cardiac death and ventricular tachyarrhythmias in young, apparently healthy individuals and athletes. Myocardial atrophy with subsequent fibrofatty replacement predominantly affects right ventricular myocardium and results in global and regional dysfunction as well as areas of slow conduction and dispersion of refractoriness which are prerequisites for reentrant ventricular tachyarrhythmias.Patients affected with ARVC should be excluded from competitive sports and vigorous training. To provide optimal treatment, a detailed diagnostic evaluation and risk stratification are mandatory. Tailored treatment strategies aim at the suppression or effective termination of recurrent ventricular tachyarrhythmias and prevention of sudden death by antiarrhythmic drug therapy, catheter ablation, or implantation of a cardioverter defibrillator (ICD).Antiarrhythmic drugs may be used as a stand-alone treatment to suppress ventricular tachycardia (VT) recurrences in patients with ARVC and low risk of sudden death. Sotalol (preferred) or amiodarone in combination with -blockers showed the highest efficacy rates. In patients at higher risk, an ICD should be implanted and antiarrhythmic drugs be used only as an adjunct to prevent or suppress frequent VT recurrences and ICD discharges.Catheter ablation using conventional or electroanatomic mapping techniques yields good acute results for eliminating the targeted arrhythmia substrate. However, during the progressive long-term course of ARVC, VT recurrences from new arrhythmia foci are frequent and therefore limit the curative value of catheter ablation. In patients with frequent VT recurrences and ICD discharges, however, catheter ablation plays an important role as a palliative and adjunctive treatment option for arrhythmia suppression.ICD therapy has been increasingly used for secondary and also primary prevention of sudden death in patients with ARVC. In secondary prevention, the ICD has shown to improve the long-term prognosis of patients at high risk of sudden death by effective termination of life-threatening recurrences of ventricular tachyarrhythmias. However, adequate lead placement may be difficult and lead-related complications during long-term follow-up must be taken into account. The role of ICD therapy for primary prevention of sudden death in ARVC is not yet adequately defined.Ongoing international registries will provide important additional data to improve risk stratification and refine treatment algorithms in order to select the best individual treatment for arrhythmia suppression and prevention of sudden death in patients with ARVC.     

Combining Antiarrhythmic Drugs and Implantable Devices Therapy: Benefits and Outcome

At least 50% of patients who received an ICD have been treated with antiarrhythmic drugs (AAD). The potential indications for combining antiarrhythmic drugs and ICD are generally the following: reduction of the number of episodes of ventricular tachycardia or ventricular fibrillation and therefore of the number of shocks, improving patient's quality of life and extending the battery life of the ICD, prevention of supraventricular arrhythmias and/or control of their rate, lengthening of the tachycardia cycle length to allow ventricular tachycardia conversion by antitachycardia pacing and reduction of the number of episodes of syncope.Although previous papers reported conflicting results about pharmacologic therapy in reducing the frequency of iCD shocks, some recent randomized prospective studies showed the efficacy of pharmacologic therapy in reducing the frequency of ICD shocks.The use of antiarrhythmic drugs can have also adverse effect: an increase in the defibrillation threshold, an increase in the pacing threshold and an increase in the VT cycle length leading to detection failure. We have also to consider that some advantages derived from antiarrhythmic drugs can be reached by the new devices with atrial sensing and pacing and/or the possibility of atrial defibrillation or by using catheter ablation as adjunctive therapy to ICD.For these reasons, the concomitant use of antiarrhythmic drugs and ICD should be evaluated in each patient in relation to specific clinical and electrophysiologic features including: the frequency, the rate and the clinical presentation of the ventricular arrhythmia, the effect of the selected drug on the defibrillation threshold, the defibrillation threshold at the implant, the effect of the selected drug on the ventricular function and the likelihood of proarrhythmic events.     

Intradevice interaction in a dual chamber implantable cardioverter defibrillator preventing ventricular tachyarrhythmia detection

Failure to detect ventricular tachycardia and/or ventricular fibrillation by implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) is a rare but serious problem. We report a case of failure to detect an episode of induced ventricular tachycardia by a dual chamber ICD, due to abbreviation of ventricular detection window secondary to programmed pacing parameters and a rate-smoothing algorithm. In this patient, the intradevice interaction was corrected by programming rate-smoothing off. This report highlights the potentially lethal consequences of critical timing relationships among the pacing function, arrhythmia detection, and the characteristics of the arrhythmia when using a modern dual chamber ICD. Physicians responsible for patients with ICDs must be aware of such interactions.     

Surgical Cardiac Sympathetic Denervation for Ventricular Arrhythmias: A Systematic Review

Ventricular arrhythmias are potentially life-threatening disorders that are commonly treated with medications, catheter ablation and implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD). Adult patients who continue to be symptomatic, with frequent ventricular arrhythmia cardiac events or defibrillation from ICD despite medical treatment, are a challenging subgroup to manage. Surgical cardiac sympathetic denervation has emerged as a possible treatment option for people refractory to less invasive medical options. Recent treatment guidelines have recommendedcardiac sympathectomy for ventricular tachycardia (VT) or VT/fibrillation storm refractory to antiarrhythmic medications, long QT syndrome, and catecholaminergic polymorphic VT, with much of the data pertaining to pediatric literature. However, for the adult population, the disease indications, complications, and risks of cardiac sympathectomy are less understood, as are the most effective surgical cardiac denervation techniques for this patient demographic. This systematic review navigates available literature evaluating surgical denervation disease state indications, techniques, and sympathectomy risks for medically refractory ventricular arrhythmia in the adult patient population.     

Real-world evaluation of followup strategies after ICD therapies in patients with VT (REFINE-VT)

Implantable cardiac defibrillators (ICDs) can prevent sudden cardiac death, but the risk of recurrent ventricular arrhythmia (VA) and ICD shocks persist. Strategies to minimise such risks include medication optimisation, device programming and ventricular tachycardia (VT) ablation. Whether the choice of these interventions at follow-up are influenced by factors such as the type of arrhythmia or ICD therapy remains unclear. To investigate this, we evaluated ICD follow-up strategies in a real-world population with primary and secondary prevention ICDs.REFINE-VT (Real-world Evaluation of Follow-up strategies after Implantable cardiac-defibrillator therapies in patients with Ventricular Tachycardia) is an observational study of 514 ICD recipients recruited between 2018 and 2019. We found that 77 patients (15%) suffered significant VA and/or ICD therapies, of whom 26% experienced a second event; 31% received no intervention. We observed an inconsistent approach to the choice of strategies across different types of arrhythmias and ICD therapies. Odds of intervening were significantly higher if ICD shock was detected compared with anti-tachycardia pacing (odds ratio [OR] 8.4, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.7 to 39.6, p=0.007). Even in patients with two events, the rate of escalation of antiarrhythmics or referral for VT ablation were as low as patients with single events.This is the first contemporary study evaluating how strategies that reduce the risk of recurrent ICD events are executed in a real-world population. Significant inconsistencies in the choice of interventions exist, supporting the need for a multi-disciplinary approach to provide evidence-based care to this population.Key words: follow-up, implantable cardiac defibrillator, real-world evaluation, ventricular arrhythmia, ventricular tachycardia     

Catheter ablation of ventricular tachycardia in ischaemic and non-ischaemic cardiomyopathy: where are we today? A clinical review

According to the current guidelines, patients with ischaemic cardiomyopathy (ICM) or non-ischaemic cardiomyopathy (NICM) at risk for sudden cardiac death should undergo implantation of an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD). Although ICDs effectively terminate ventricular arrhythmias, the arrhythmogenic substrate remains unchanged or may progress over time, resulting in recurrent ICD shocks. Defibrillator shocks increase mortality and worsen quality of life. Evidence from two prospective randomized trials on outcome in patients with ischaemic heart disease undergoing catheter ablation for ventricular tachycardia (VT) suggests that ablation prevents recurrence of VT and decreases the number of ICD shocks. This review will highlight the recent progress made in the ablative treatment of VT in patients with ICM and NICM.