Is Programmed Stimulation of Value in Predicting the Long-Term Success of Antiarrhythmic Therapy for Ventricular Tachycardias?

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Abstract
We studied the value of programmed stimulation in assessing the efficacy of antiarrhythmic agents in 52 patients with sustained ventricular tachycardia. All patients in this nonrandomized study had ventricular tachycardia inducible by programmed stimulation and also had frequent ventricular premature complexes (3=30 per hour) on Holter-monitor recordings before therapy. The efficacy of antiarrhythmic agents was assessed by both programmed stimulation and Holter recordings during serial drug testing. A regimen was deemed effective according to the programmed-stimulation criteria in 25 patients (Group 1). Twenty-seven patients in whom tachycardia could still be induced during programmed stimulation despite extensive drug trials were discharged on a regimen that caused a marked reduction of ventricular premature complexes according to Holter monitoring (Group 2). In 23 patients no effective drug regimen was identified by either set of efficacy criteria, and these patients were excluded from the present analysis. Follow-up lasted 18.6±13.9 months. Rates of arrhythmia-free survival at 12 and 24 months were 88 percent and 72 percent, respectively, in Group 1 and 84 percent and 75 percent in Group 2 (P = 0.637).