Effect of Fish Oil on Ventricular Tachyarrhythmia and Death in Patients With Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillators

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Abstract
Sudden cardiac death is one of the most common and often the first manifestation of coronary heart disease. It is responsible for approximately 50% of all mortality from cardiovascular disease in the Western world.1 The majority of sudden deaths are directly caused by acute ventricular arrhythmia.2 Epidemiological studies indicate that intake of very-long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (omega-3 PUFAs) as present in fish or fish oil is associated with a reduction in cardiovascular mortality.3-7 These observational studies showed a strong relationship between omega-3 PUFAs and sudden death, but not between omega-3 PUFAs and nonfatal heart disease.5,8,9 This is confirmed by the outcome of some clinical trials; in the Diet and Reinfarction Trial (DART),10 consumption of fish or fish oil reduced fatal heart disease by more than 30%, and the open-label Gruppo Italiano per lo Studio della Sopravvivenza nell’Infarto miocardico (GISSI) trial4 found a 45% reduction in sudden death in patients consuming omega-3 PUFAs.

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