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Ventricular arrhythmia burden in ICD patients during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic

Benjamin Rath1, Florian Doldi2, Kevin Willy2

  • 1Department of Cardiology II-Electrophysiology, University Hospital Münster, Albert-Schweitzer-Campus 1, 48149, Münster, Germany. benjamin.rath@ukmuenster.de.

Clinical Research in Cardiology : Official Journal of the German Cardiac Society
|October 30, 2023
PubMed

Insights

During the second COVID-19 wave, implantable defibrillator (ICD) patients experienced a significant increase in ventricular arrhythmias (VA) requiring ICD therapies, contrasting earlier pandemic findings.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Public Health

Background:

  • COVID-19 is linked to cardiovascular issues like ventricular arrhythmias (VA) and cardiac arrests.
  • Initial reports suggested a decrease in VA burden among implantable defibrillator (ICD) patients during the first COVID-19 wave.
  • Uncertainty remained regarding VA trends in later pandemic stages.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate if the reduced VA burden observed during the first COVID-19 wave persisted into the second wave.
  • To assess changes in VA occurrence requiring ICD interventions during the second COVID-19 wave compared to a control period.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective analysis of 1674 patients with ICDs.
  • Comparison of VA requiring ICD interventions during the second COVID-19 wave versus a control period.
  • Device interrogations performed in an outpatient clinic setting.

Main Results:

  • A significantly higher number of adequate ICD therapies were observed during the second COVID-19 wave.
  • 4.5% of patients received appropriate ICD interventions during the COVID-19 period, versus 1.8% in the control period (p=0.01).
  • Thirty-six patients experienced sustained VA requiring ICD intervention during the pandemic, compared to sixteen in the control group.

Conclusions:

  • Contrary to the first wave, the second COVID-19 wave saw a significant increase in VA among ICD patients.
  • Potential contributing factors include increased infection rates, vaccination side effects, behavioral changes, or reduced healthcare utilization.
  • These findings highlight evolving cardiovascular risks associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.
Abstract

Keywords:
COVID-19ICDVFVTVentricular arrhythmia

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