Catheter ablation for ventricular tachycardia in ischaemic heart disease; acute success and long-term outcome.

Objectives: We conducted a study to assess the acute procedural success and the long-term effect of radiofrequency ablation (RFA) for ventricular tachycardia (VT) in patients with ischaemic heart disease.

Design: We included 90 patients with ischaemic heart disease treated with RFA for VT in our institution. Data were obtained from patient files, and implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) discharges were recorded from in-house and remote follow-up data. Recurrence of VT during follow-up was noted as date of first ICD therapy for VT or first recurrence of symptomatic VT.

Results: After the initial RFA procedure no VT was inducible in 42 patients (47%), non-clinical VT was inducible in 21 patients (23%), and the clinical VT was still inducible in 14 patients (16%). The procedural success was indefinable in 13 patients (14%). After a median follow-up of 33 months after the latest RFA, 38 patients (42%) stayed free from recurrent VT. The number of ICD shocks/year was significantly reduced from median 1.1 (interquartile range: 0.3-2.8) to 0 (0-0.4) (p < 0.0001).

Conclusions: Procedural success rate as well as long-term freedom from recurrent VT is modest after RFA for VT in ischaemic heart disease. However, ICD discharges are significantly reduced after RFA, and a considerable proportion of patients remain free from recurrent VT during the long-term follow-up.