[Complex ventricular extrasystole. Value of programmed electric stimulation for evaluating the risk of sudden death]

A prospective study was carried out from May 1984 to July 1987 to determine the prognostic value of the results of programmed electrical stimulation (PES) in patients with complex ventricular ectopy. The study population comprised 118 patients, 80 with and 38 without apparent underlying cardiac disease. The PES consisted in at most 3 extrastimuli delivered to the right ventricular apex during 2 imposed basal rhythms. Two groups of patients were identified: Group I (n = 35; 29.6%) in which a significant ventricular arrhythmia was induced (sustained ventricular tachycardia (11 cases), non-sustained VT (21 cases) and ventricular fibrillation (3 cases); and Group II (n = 83; 70.3%) in which no significant arrhythmia could be induced. During follow-up (average 28.7 +/- 11.7 months, range 6 to 48 months) there were 10 cardiac deaths, 8 of which occurred suddenly. Sudden death only occurred in patients with cardiac disease and usually with LV ejection fraction of less than 0.40; the prevalence of sudden death in Group I (11.5%) was higher than in Group II (4.8%) but the difference was not statistically significant. The prognosis of patients in Group II was the same as that of the general population. The results of this study suggest that PES enables identification of a subgroup of patients with complex ventricular ectopy in which ventricular tachyarrhythmias cannot be induced and the risk of sudden death is low; the management of patients with inducible ventricular tachyarrhythmias and normal LV function has to be determined case by case.