Ventricular proarrhythmic effects of atrial fibrillation are modulated by depolarization and repolarization anomalies...

Atrial fibrillation (AF) may have a ventricular proarrhythmic effect, particularly in the setting of heart failure. We assessed whether AF predicts appropriate implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) shocks in patients with left ventricular dysfunction and explored modulators of risk.

A retrospective cohort study was conducted on 215 consecutive patients with ICDs for primary prevention having a left ventricular ejection fraction < or = 35%. Mean age at ICD implantation was 61.0 +/- 9.7 years and 17% were women. Overall, 22 patients (10.2%) experienced appropriate ICD shocks over a follow-up of 1.3 +/- 0.7 years, corresponding to an actuarial event-rate of 5.8% per year. In univariate analysis, AF was associated with a 3.6-fold increased risk of appropriate shocks (P = 0.0037). Annual rates of appropriate ICD shocks in patients with and without AF were 12.9% and 3.5%, respectively (P = 0.0200). In multivariate stepwise Cox regression analyses controlling for baseline imbalances, demographic parameters, underlying heart disease, and therapy, history of AF independently predicted appropriate shocks (hazard ratio 2.7, P = 0.0278). Prolonged QRS duration (>130 ms) and QTc (>440 ms) modulated the effect of AF on appropriate shocks. Patients with both AF and QRS > 130 ms were more than five times more likely to receive an appropriate ICD shock (hazard ratio 5.4, P = 0.0396). Patients with AF and QTc > 440 ms experienced a greater than 12-fold increased risk of appropriate shocks (hazard ratio 12.7, P = 0.0177).

In prophylactic ICD recipients with left ventricular dysfunction, AF is associated with increased risk for ventricular tachyarrhythmias, particularly when combined with conduction and/or repolarization abnormalities.