Echocardiographic predictors of survival in patients undergoing radiofrequency ablation of postinfarct clinical ventricular tachycardia.

Introduction: The aim of this study was to determine the predictive value of echocardiographic parameters of systolic left ventricular (LV) dysfunction for survival in a group of patients with "mappable" ventricular tachycardia (VT) after myocardial infarction who underwent radiofrequency ablation (RFA) of their clinical VT(s).

Methods And Results: RFA of at least one inducible, "mappable," and clinical VT was attempted in 61 patients. In total, 63 (79%) of 80 target clinical VTs were ablated successfully, such that clinical VT(s) were noninducible in 49 (80%) of 61 patients. At the last recorded follow-up (range 2 to 98 months; mean 21 +/- 20), nonfatal VT recurrences were observed in 11 (22%) patients; 10 (16%) patients died. On univariate analysis, a higher LV end-diastolic volume (LVEDV; P = 0.008) and, by multivariate analysis, applying backward selection of variables, older age (P = 0.03) with a higher LVEDV (P = 0.003) predicted patients more likely to die. When age and LV ejection fraction (LVEF) were excluded, LV end-systolic diameter (LVESD; P = 0.007) was the most significant predictor of survival.

Conclusion: In our patient population with postinfarct VT who underwent RFA of mappable clinical VT(s), LVEF did not predict survival. In this group of patients with overall low mean LVEF (<35%), older age together with higher LVEDV and LVESD predicted patients who were more prone to die. LV size rather than LVEF correlated with survival.