PMID: 8604443Mar 1, 1996Paper

Is a baseline electrophysiologic study mandatory for the management of patients with spontaneous, sustained, ventricular tachyarrhythmias?

Progress in Cardiovascular Diseases
L B Mitchell, L S Gettes

Abstract

Should the patient being treated for spontaneous, sustained ventricular tachycardia (VT) or ventricular fibrillation (VF) routinely undergo a baseline, diagnostic, catheter electrophysiologic (EP) study? The potential patient advantages of such a policy include identification of the tachyarrhythmia-initiating episodes of presumed VT or VF, prediction of the subsequent risk of VT/VF recurrences, identification of VT mechanisms amenable to cure by catheter ablation, assessment of the response of a patient's VT to attempts at pace termination, evaluation of the patient's candidacy for some of the approaches to VT/VF therapy selection, and enhancement of our understanding of the mechanisms and therapeutics of VT/VF. Disadvantages of such a policy include patient discomfort, patient risks, and cost. Recognizing that the decision to perform a baseline catheter EP study in a patient with VT/VF must be based on an individualized, patient-based, risk-benefit analysis; this review details each of the advantages and disadvantages of doing so to identify patient populations for whom a baseline catheter EP study is or is not usually indicated.

References

Nov 15, 1979·The New England Journal of Medicine·G J KleinJ J Gallagher
Jun 1, 1987·Journal of the American College of Cardiology·L N HorowitzS R Spielman
Sep 1, 1982·The American Journal of Cardiology·T B GraboysR DeSilva
Oct 1, 1982·Annals of Internal Medicine·J P DimarcoJ N Ruskin
Jan 1, 1943·British Heart Journal·W T Cooke, P D White

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Citations

Dec 29, 2005·Evidence-based Cardiovascular Medicine·L Brent Mitchell
Dec 11, 1997·Pacing and Clinical Electrophysiology : PACE·R A MarinchakP R Kowey

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