Coronary chronic total occlusions and mortality in patients with ventricular tachyarrhythmias

This study sought to assess the prognostic impact of coronary chronic total occlusions (CTO) in patients presenting with ventricular tachyarrhythmias on admission.

A large retrospective registry was used, including all consecutive patients presenting with ventricular tachyarrhythmias on admission and undergoing coronary angiography from 2002 to 2016. Patients with a CTO were compared with all other patients (non-CTO) for prognostic outcomes. Statistics comprised Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression analyses. Within a total of 1,461 consecutive patients included with ventricular tachyarrhythmias on admission, a CTO was present in 20%. At midterm follow-up of 18 months, the primary endpoint all-cause mortality had occurred in 40% of CTO patients compared to 27% of non-CTO patients (HR 1.563, 95% CI: 1.263-1.934; p=0.001). The rates of secondary endpoints were higher for in-hospital all-cause mortality at index (29% versus 20%, log-rank p=0.027) and the composite endpoint of cardiac death at 24 hours, recurrent ventricular tachyarrhythmias and appropriate ICD therapies at midterm follow-up (28% versus 20%, log-rank p=0.005). Mortality rates were highest in CTO patients with stable coronary artery disease (CAD), acute myocardial infarction and in patients surviving index hospitalisation.

In patients presenting with ventricular tachyarrhythmias on admission, the presence of a coronary CTO is independently associated with an increase of midterm all-cause mortality, in-hospital all-cause mortality and the composite endpoint of early cardiac death, recurrent ventricular tachyarrhythmias and appropriate ICD therapies.