Treatment of ventricular arrhythmias: What's New?

Ventricular arrhythmias can present as asymptomatic premature ventricular complexes (PVCs) or non-sustained ventricular tachycardia (VT), symptomatic presentation of the former arrhythmias, or sustained VT with minimal symptoms to full hemodynamic collapse. The most important and feared consequence of VT is sudden cardiac death (SCD). Independent of SCD risk, frequent ventricular arrhythmias can cause substantial symptoms. Implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) are the foundation of managing patients at high risk for SCD due to their ability to automatically identify and defibrillate malignant ventricular arrhythmias. Unfortunately, defibrillation is associated with significant physical and emotional adverse effects. Other treatment options include antiarrhythmic drugs, which have substantial toxicities and limited efficacy, and catheter ablation. The techniques and strategies for VT ablation have advanced considerably in recent years leading to a rapid expansion of indications and use. In this review, we discuss current state of the art therapies for ventricular arrhythmias and highlight some of the most promising areas of ongoing development.