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Excisional Surgery for Patients with Ventricular Tachyarrhythmias
Author(s) -
HAMMON JOHN W.
Publication year - 1987
Publication title -
journal of cardiac surgery
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.428
H-Index - 58
eISSN - 1540-8191
pISSN - 0886-0440
DOI - 10.1111/j.1540-8191.1987.tb00194.x
Subject(s) - medicine , refractory (planetary science) , ventricular tachycardia , cardiology , tachycardia , surgery , anesthesia , astrobiology , physics
A bstract Thirty‐eight patients with drug refractory ventricular tachycardia have been operated on since 1980. An attempt at preoperative localization of the site of arrhythmia was made in those patients who did not have severe ischemia or multifocal tachycardia. Operation consisted of intra‐operative mapping, when feasible, subendocardial resection and cryolesions placed when sites of interest could not be resected. Patients averaged 56±44 years of age and 25 had associated coronary bypass. The operative mortality was 5/38 (13%) and two deaths were related to recurrent arrhythmia. Of 33 survivors, 21 (64%) were cured of their arrhythmia and an additional nine patients who had been drug refractory were controlled with medication alone. The best results were found in patients with anteroapical scar and unifocal tachycardia. Thus, direct operation for drug refractory ventricular tachycardia can be performed at a reasonable risk and with a high likelihood of successful arrhythmia control.