Sustained ventricular tachycardia or fibrillation in the cardiac catheterization laboratory among patients receiving primary percutaneous coronary intervention: incidence, predictors, and outcomes

OBJECTIVES: We sought to evaluate the incidence, predictors, and outcomes of ventricular tachycardia and/or ventricular fibrillation (VT/VF) in the cardiac catheterization laboratory among patients undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). BACKGROUND: Although VT/VF has been known to occur during primary PCI, the current data do not identify patients at risk for these arrhythmias or the outcomes of such patients. METHODS: We evaluated 3065 patients enrolled in the Primary Angioplasty in Myocardial Infarction (PAMI) trials, who underwent primary PCI to evaluate the associations of VT/VF and the influence of these arrhythmias on in-hospital and one-year outcomes. RESULTS: In patients undergoing primary PCI, VT/VF occurred in 133 (4.3%). Multivariate analysis identified the following as independent correlates of VT/VF: smoking (odds ratio OR] 1.95, 95% confidence interval CI] 1.26 to 3.02), lack of preprocedural beta-blockers (OR 2.34, 95% CI 1.35 to 4.07), time from symptom onset to emergency room of