Prevalence and Predictors of Electrical Storm in Patients With Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator

Association of prolonged QRS duration with ventricular tachyarrhythmias and sudden cardiac death in the Multicenter Automatic Defibrillator Implantation Trial II (MADIT-II)

“…While the largest study to date examining the relationship of prolonged QRSd to SCD reported a significant independent association (4), other smaller studies have had inconsistent results (2,3). Moreover, there is conflicting literature on the relationship of prolonged QRSd to arrhythmic events, including SCD, in patients treated with implantable cardiovertordefibrillators (ICDs), with the largest study to date showing that prolonged QRSd does not predict VT/VF in patients with ICDs (5), and smaller studies reporting contradictory results (6)(7)(8)(9)(10)(11)(12).…”

“…There has also been conflicting data on the ability of QRSd to predict ventricular tachyarrhythmic events requiring ICD therapy in ICD-treated populations (5)(6)(7)(8)(9)(10)(11)(12). The largest prior study, a sub-analysis of 431 ICD-treated patients in the PainFREE II study, found no association between prolonged QRSd and rapid VT/VF events (5).…”

Optimal Programming of Implantable Cardiac-Defibrillators

“…Shocks have also been associated with worsening heart failure, electromechanical dissociation, and electrical storm in 14% to 20% of patients. [65][66][67] ICD shocks are associated with poor quality of life, anxiety, and depression.…”

Prevention of Sudden Death – Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator and/or Ventricular Radiofrequency Ablation

“…In some ICD patients, this condition leads to a reactive depression, helplessness, and post-traumatic stress disorder. In addition, an electrical storm is associated with increased mortality (Credner, 1998;Arya, 2006).…”