Left ventricular aneurysmectomy for refractory tachyarrhythmias: report in 11 postinfarction patients

Between January 1970 and August 1974, eleven postinfarction patients underwent left ventricular aneurysmectomy for refractory tachyarrhythmias. Ten suffered from ventricular tachycardias and one from supraventricular tachycardia. All had localized aneurysms and normal contractions of the surrounding myocardium on angiocardiography. None suffered from significant angina, congestive heart failure or papillary muscle dysfunction. The diagnosis was first suspected at fluoroscopy, the latter being in our opinion a most reliable screening method for the recognition of these cases. There was one hospital death after surgery. The remaining ten patients are now free from further arrhythmic attacks for a follow-up period between fourteen months to five and a half years. These results confirm that in some carefully selected postinfarction patients, left ventricular aneurysmectomy without concomittant aortocoronary bypass may result in the elimination of medically intractable tachyarrhythmias.