@article {Rodr{\'\i}guez23, author = {L. M. Rodr{\'\i}guez and E. B. Sternick and J. L. Smeets and C. Timmermans and K. den Dulk and G. Oreto and H. J. Wellens}, title = {Induction of ventricular fibrillation predicts sudden death in patients treated with amiodarone because of ventricular tachyarrhythmias after a myocardial infarction.}, volume = {75}, number = {1}, pages = {23--28}, year = {1996}, doi = {10.1136/hrt.75.1.23}, publisher = {BMJ Publishing Group Ltd}, abstract = {OBJECTIVE--To examine the value of programmed electrical stimulation of the heart in predicting sudden death in patients receiving amiodarone to treat ventricular tachyarrhythmias after myocardial infarction. DESIGN--Consecutive patients; retrospective study. SETTING--Referral centre for cardiology, academic hospital. PATIENTS--106 patients with ventricular tachycardia (n = 77) or ventricular fibrillation (n = 29) late after myocardial infarction. INTERVENTIONS--Programmed electrical stimulation was performed while on amiodarone treatment for at least one month. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS--In 80/106 patients either ventricular fibrillation (n = 15) or sustained monomorphic ventricular tachycardia (n = 65) was induced. After a mean follow up of 50 (SD 40) months (1-144), 11 patients died suddenly and two used their implantable cardioverter debfibrillator. By multivariate analysis two predictors for sudden death were found: (1) inducibility of ventricular fibrillation under amiodarone treatment (P \<\< 0.001), and (2) a left ventricular ejection fraction of \< 40\% (P \< 0.05). The survival rate at one, two, three, and five years was 70\%, 62\%, 62\%, and 40\% respectively for patients in whom ventricular fibrillation was induced, and 98\%, 96\%, 94\%, 94\% for patients with induced sustained monomorphic ventricular tachycardia. Where there was no sustained arrhythmia, five year survival was 100\%. CONCLUSIONS--In patients receiving amiodarone because of life threatening ventricular arrhythmias after myocardial infarction, inducibility of ventricular fibrillation, but not of sustained monomorphic ventricular tachycardia, indicates a high risk of sudden death.}, issn = {1355-6037}, URL = {https://heart.bmj.com/content/75/1/23}, eprint = {https://heart.bmj.com/content/75/1/23.full.pdf}, journal = {Heart} }