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Background: The SCD-HeFT (Sudden Cardiac Death in Heart Failure Trial) randomized 2,521 patients with moderate heart failure (HF) to amiodarone, placebo drug, or implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) therapy. Original trial follow-up ended October 31, 2003. Over a median 45.5-month follow-up, amiodarone, compared with placebo, did not affect survival, whereas randomization to an ICD significantly decreased all-cause mortality by 23%., Objectives: This study sought to describe the extended treatment group survival of the SCD-HeFT cohort., Methods: Mortality outcomes for the 1,855 patients alive at the end of the SCD-HeFT trial were collected between 2010 and 2011. These data were combined with the 666 deaths from the original study to compare long-term outcomes overall and for key pre-specified subgroups., Results: Median (25th to 75th percentiles) follow-up was 11.0 (10.0 to 12.2) years. On the basis of intention-to-treat analysis, the ICD group had overall survival benefit versus placebo drug (hazard ratio [HR]: 0.87; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.76 to 0.98; p = 0.028). When treatment benefit was examined as a function of time from randomization, attenuation of the ICD benefit was observed after 6 years (p value for the interaction = 0.0015). Subgroup analysis revealed long-term ICD benefit varied according to HF etiology and New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional class: ischemic HF HR: 0.81; 95% CI: 0.69 to 0.95; p = 0.009; nonischemic HF HR: 0.97; 95% CI: 0.79 to 1.20; p = 0.802; NYHA functional class II HR: 0.76; 95% CI: 0.65 to 0.90; p = 0.001; NYHA functional class III HR: 1.06; 95% CI: 0.86 to 1.31; p = 0.575., Conclusions: Follow-up of SCD-HeFT patients to 11 years demonstrated heterogenous treatment-related patterns of long-term survival with ICD benefit most evident at 11 years for ischemic HF patients and for those with NYHA functional class II symptoms at trial enrollment. (SCD-HeFT 10 Year Follow-up [SCD-HeFT10 Yr]; NCT01058837)., (Copyright © 2020 American College of Cardiology Foundation. All rights reserved.)

Background: Stroke is the major cause of morbidity and mortality related to atrial fibrillation (AF). Catheter ablation for AF is effective in reducing AF burden, but its impact on long-term stroke risk is unknown., Objective: We sought to evaluate the periprocedural and long-term stroke risk after catheter ablation or cardioversion for AF., Methods: This retrospective, propensity-matched study using a national administrative claims database identified patients with AF who underwent catheter ablation and a comparison group (matched on age, sex, year of treatment, CHA2DS2-Vasc score, and Charlson index) who underwent cardioversion between 2005 and 2012. The primary end points were (1) time to first ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA) and (2) time to first ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke excluding TIA. We compared periprocedural incident stroke (within 30 days of ablation or cardioversion) as well as total strokes between the 2 groups., Results: A total of 24,244 patients (12,122 patients undergoing ablation and 12,122 patients undergoing cardioversion) were included in the analysis. Incident periprocedural stroke or TIA occurred in 0.5% of the ablation group and 0.3% of the cardioversion group (P = .04). There was a significant initial risk of stroke/TIA with ablation within the first 30 days (rate ratio 1.53; P = .05). After 30 days, this risk was significantly lower in the ablation group (rate ratio 0.78; P = .03)., Conclusion: In patients with AF, there is a small periprocedural stroke risk with ablation in comparison to cardioversion. However, over longer-term follow-up, ablation is associated with a slightly lower rate of stroke., (Copyright © 2015 Heart Rhythm Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Most cardiac arrests occur in the home, where emergency medical services (EMS) systems are challenged to provide timely care. Because a large proportion of sudden cardiac arrests (SCAs) are due to ventricular tachycardia or ventricular fibrillation, home use of an automated external defibrillator (AED) might offer an opportunity to decrease mortality in those at risk. Predicting who will have a cardiac arrest in the general population is difficult. Individuals at high risk are usually easily identified and may become candidates for implantable cardioverter defibrillators. It is within the population at lower risk where home AEDs may be most useful. The purpose of the Home Automatic External Defibrillator Trial (HAT) is to test whether providing home access to an AED can improve survival in patients at modest risk of SCA, such as those surviving an anterior myocardial infarction but in whom implantable cardioverter defibrillator therapy is not deemed necessary. Between January 23, 2003, and October 20, 2005, 7001 patients were enrolled, with completion of follow-up scheduled for September 30, 2007. Randomization was conducted in a 1:1 fashion between control therapy, comprising the standard lay response to SCA (calling the EMS and performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation), and the use of an AED first, followed by calling the EMS and performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation. The primary end point is all-cause mortality. Secondary outcomes include survival from SCA (witnessed and unwitnessed, in home and out of home), incremental cost-effectiveness, and quality of life measures for both the patient and the spouse/companion. The results of the trial should be available in mid 2008.

Background: Programs focusing on early defibrillation have improved both short- and long-term survival of patients with VF out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). Subsequent long-term management of survivors would be facilitated by a straight-forward, non-invasive method of identifying those at highest risk for recurrence. Therefore, we assessed the predictive value of the standard ECG to determine both short- and long-term outcomes in survivors of VF OHCA to assist in risk stratification of those patients at highest risk of sudden death., Methods: All patients with an OHCA between November 1990 and December 2000 who received early defibrillation for VF in Olmsted County Minnesota (MN) were included. Cox proportional hazards modeling was used to examine ECG variables and subsequent ICD deployment and death., Results: Two hundred patients presented in VF OHCA; of these 138 (69%) survived to hospital admission (seven died in the emergency department prior to admission) and 79 (40%) were discharged. The QRS duration (141 +/- 41ms in nonsurvivors, 123 +/- 35 in survivors, P = 0.004) was predictive of short-term mortality in patients who did not survive to hospital discharge. The ventricular rate, PR interval, presence of right or left bundle branch block, QTc, ST elevation myocardial infarction, and atrial fibrillation/flutter were nonpredictive. The average length of follow up for hospital dismissal survivors was 4.8 +/- 3.0 years. In univariate analysis, each 30 ms interval increase in the QRS width and PR interval was associated with increased mortality and ICD deployment hazard ratio of 1.6 (CI 1.1-2.5, P = 0.02) and 1.12 (CI 1.0-1.2, P = 0.05), respectively. In multivariate analysis accounting for admission ejection fraction, a PR > 200 ms [HR 4.5 (CI 1.7-11.8, P = 0.022)], QRS width increase greater than 30 ms [HR 1.9 (CI 1.3-2.8, P < 0.001)], and a QRS > 120 ms [HR 2.4 (CI 1.1-5.4, P = 0.032)] were predictive of long-term mortality and ICD shocks., Conclusion: Careful evaluation of the admitting and discharge ECG provides prognostic information for in-hospital and long-term outcomes, respectively in this cohort of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest survivors. The QRS duration on the dismissal ECG following VF OHCA provides prognostic information which might be useful to identify those at highest risk long-term, and who would benefit from more aggressive antiarrhythmic therapy and cardiac stabilization.

Objective: To describe and evaluate the in-hospital treatment of ventricular arrhythmias and underlying structural heart disease in patients who survive ventricular fibrillation (VF) out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) in a region with a high survival rate after hospital discharge., Patients and Methods: The study included all patients presenting in Olmsted County, Minnesota, who had experienced OHCA between November 1990 and December 2000 and who underwent defibrillation of VF by an emergency medical service system., Results: Of 200 patients who experienced VF arrest, 138 (69%) survived to hospital admission (7 died in the emergency department before admission), and 79 (40%) were discharged. Of patients who were discharged, 37 (47%) had a reversible cause of the arrest (perimyocardial infarction) and received treatment of the primary process. The other 42 patients who were discharged had ischemic coronary heart disease (CHD) (n=25), nonischemic CHD (n=10), or idiopathic VF (n=7). Four of the patients with CHD but no left ventricular dysfunction were treated with coronary artery bypass grafting or percutaneous coronary intervention alone. A total of 52 patients (66%) were candidates for electrophysiologic testing. Of these patients, 48 (92%) underwent electrophysiologic testing; of these patients, 10 received amiodarone alone, and 35 received an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) (of whom 3 also received amiodarone). Patients who did not receive ICD therapy typically presented before 1998 with CHD and underwent coronary artery bypass grafting or percutaneous coronary intervention only. Of 79 patients who were discharged, 14 (18%) with an ICD have received subsequent shocks. Nineteen (24%) of 79 patients have died, 5 of a primary cardiac etiology (including 2 with repeated OHCA)., Conclusions: The VF OHCA survival rate is high in the setting of rapid defibrillation, with 40% of patients being discharged from the hospital. By the end of the 10-year study, more patients were receiving antiarrhythmic therapy, in particular ICD implantation, after hospital admission. Overall, the long-term survival in patients with VF OHCA is favorable.

Objective: Early defibrillation programs have improved long-term outcomes following out-of-hospital cardiac arrest from ventricular fibrillation. Although long-term collective quality of life and survival are favorable, there are subsets of these patients who may be predisposed to worse outcomes. In particular, elderly patients may present with more comorbid medical conditions affecting their outcome. However, the impact of age on mortality rate and quality of life after rapid defibrillation is unknown., Design: Observational study., Setting: Hospital., Subjects: All patients with an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest between November 1990 and January 2001 who received rapid defibrillation for ventricular fibrillation in Olmsted County, Minnesota. All patients received treatment at one hospital., Interventions: Long-term outcome and quality of life were followed. Survival was estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method. The quality of life was established by an SF-36 survey., Measurements and Main Results: Two hundred patients presented in ventricular fibrillation out-of-hospital cardiac arrest; of these, 138 (69%) survived to hospital admission, seven (4%) died in the emergency department, and 79 (39%) were discharged neurologically intact. The average age was 62+/-16 yrs, with 51% (n = 40) of the population > or =65. The average length of follow-up was 4.8+/-3.0 yrs. The 5-yr survival in patients <65 was 94% (confidence interval, 86-100%) and 66% (confidence interval, 52-84%) in patients > or =65 (p <.001). The observed survival in the younger group was not different from that expected in a U.S. age- and gender-matched population. However, in the older group, the expected survival was significantly lower compared with an age- and gender-matched U.S. population (p =.01) but similar to an age-, gender-, and disease-matched cohort of patients from Olmsted County not experiencing an arrest. In both age-dependent cohort populations, the quality of life scores crossed the norm in all categories with exception of vitality in patients >65 yrs old (42.6+/-7.2). In direct comparison between the two patient groups, the older cohort reported lower levels of physical functioning (p =.002), role-emotional score (p =.03), and role-physical score (p =.007). Other SF-36 scores were not different between the groups. Sixty-five percent of patients <65 yrs returned to work compared with 56% of older patients., Conclusions: The survival rate for ventricular fibrillation out-of-hospital cardiac arrest is significantly improved by the presence of a rapid defibrillation program. In patients <65 yrs old, long-term survival is equal to that of normal individuals and quality of life is similar to the general population. The survival, although high, in older patients is less than that in age-matched healthy controls, and physical and emotional quality of life scores are decreased.

Background: Brain injury after a cardiac arrest remains a major cause of morbidity. Programs focusing on early defibrillation have yielded improved survival of patients after hospital discharge following ventricular fibrillation (VF) out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). Early defibrillation that promptly restores a circulating rhythm should decrease the hypoxic period and subsequent organ injury. Therefore this study was designed to determine if long-term memory complaints persist in VF OHCA survivors resuscitated in an early defibrillation program when compared with a healthy control population not experiencing cardiac arrest., Methods: All patients with an OHCA between November 1990 and January 2001 who received defibrillation by emergency medical services personnel in Olmsted County, MN, USA, were included. The memory function questionnaire (MFQ), a 64-item, 7-point Likert-scaled instrument to evaluate the perception of everyday memory functioning was sent to all survivors. The MFQ comprises four scales: general frequency of forgetting (rates general forgetting), retrospective functioning (compares current memory with past ability), seriousness of forgetting (rates how memory impairment impacts daily life), and mnemonics usage (measures adaptation). The MFQ is scaled so that high scores reflect less severe memory complaints. The comparison population comprised members of the Mayo Older Americans Normative Studies (MOANS) cohort. Quality of life was ascertained with a short form (SF)-36 survey., Results: Seventy-nine of the 200 VF OHCA patients (40%) were discharged. Twenty-two patients have died since dismissal, with an overall average length of follow-up of 4.9+/-3.0 years. Thirty-eight (67%) of the survivors completed the MFQ. Compared with the normal, there was a significant decrease in the general frequency of forgetting score of 144.2+/-37.4 versus 168.1+/-27.3 ( P<0.001) and the seriousness of forgetting score of 84.8 +/-26.7 versus 95.2+/-19.7 (P=0.004). The retrospective function-scale scores were not significantly different ( 18.4+/-6.8 versus 18.7+/- 5.0 (P=0.74). Younger patients (lesser than 65 years of age) reported an increase in general forgetting and the seriousness of forgetting compared with older survivors. A comparison with SF-36 scores suggested an association between general forgetting and decreased vitality (P=0.03) and the seriousness of forgetting with a decreased general health (P=0.005), mental health (P=0.009), physical functioning ( P=0.02 ), and vitality ( P=0.05)., Conclusion: In a cohort of VF OHCA patients, survivors report more memory complaints in comparison with a general healthy older population. There were more long-term-memory complaints in younger patients. Patients with higher long-term quality-of-life score have fewer memory complaints.

Background: Survival following out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) from ventricular fibrillation (VF) is poor and dependent on a rapid emergency response system. Improvements in emergent early response have resulted in a higher percentage of patients surviving to admission. However, the admission variables that predict both short- and long-term survival in a region with high discharge survival following OHCA require further study in order to identify survivors at subsequent highest risk., Methods: All patients with OHCA arrest in Olmsted County Minnesota between 1990 and 2000 who received defibrillation of VF by emergency services were included in the population-based study. Baseline patient admission characteristics in survivor and nonsurvivor groups were compared. Survivors to hospital discharge were prospectively followed to determine long-term survival., Results: Two hundred patients suffered a VF arrest. Of these patients, 145 (73%) survived to hospital admission (7 died within the emergency department) and 79 (40%) were subsequently discharged. Sixty-six (83%) were male, with an average age of 61.9 +/- 15.9 years. Univariate predictors of in-hospital mortality included call-to-shock time (6.6 vs. 5.5 min, p = 0.002), a nonwitnessed arrest (75.4 vs. 92.4%, p = 0.008), in-field use of epinephrine (27.8 vs. 93.4%, p < 0.001), age (68.1 vs. 61.9 years, p = 0.017), hypertension (36.1 vs. 14.1%, p = 0.005), ejection fraction (32.4 vs. 42.4, p = 0.012), and use of digoxin (34.9 vs. 12.7%, p = 0.002). Of all these variables, hypertension [hazard ratio (HR) 4.0, 95% CI 1.1-14.1, p = 0.03], digoxin use (HR 4.5, 95% CI 1.3-15.6, p = 0.02), and epinephrine requirement (HR 62.0, 95% CI 15.1-254.8, p < 0.001) were multivariate predictors of in-hospital mortality. Nineteen patients (24%) had died prior to the survey follow-up. Five patients experienced a cardiac death, resulting in a 5-year expected cardiac survival of 92%. Multivariate variables predictive of long-term mortality include digoxin use (HR 3.02, 95% CI 1.80-5.06, p < 0.001), hypertension (HR 2.06, 95% CI 2.12-3.45, p = 0.006), and call-to-shock time (HR 1.18, 95% CI 1.01-1.38, p = 0.038)., Conclusion: A combined police/fire/EMS defibrillation program has resulted in an increase of patients surviving to hospital admission after OHCA. This study confirms the need to decrease call-to-shock times, which influence both in-hospital and long-term mortality. This study also identifies the novel demographic variables of digoxin and hypertension, which were also independent risk factors of increased in-hospital and long-term mortality. Identification of these variables may provide utility in identifying those at high-risk of subsequent mortality after resuscitation., (Copyright 2004 S. Karger AG, Basel)

Background: Mortality after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest from ventricular fibrillation is high. Programs focusing on early defibrillation have improved the rate of survival to hospital discharge. We conducted a population-based analysis of the long-term outcome and quality of life of survivors., Methods: All patients who had an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest between November 1990 and January 2001 who received early defibrillation for ventricular fibrillation in Olmsted County, Minnesota, were included. The survival rate was compared with that of an age-, sex-, and disease-matched (2:1) control population of residents who had not had an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest and with that of age- and sex-matched controls from the general U.S. population. The quality of life was assessed with use of the Medical Outcomes Study 36-item Short-Form General Health Survey (SF-36) and compared with U.S. population norms., Results: Of 200 patients who presented with an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest with ventricular fibrillation, 145 (72 percent) survived to hospital admission (7 died in the emergency department) and 79 (40 percent) were neurologically intact (good overall capability or moderate overall disability) at discharge. The mean (+/-SD) length of follow-up was 4.8+/-3.0 years. Nineteen patients died after discharge from the hospital. The expected five-year survival rate (79 percent) was identical to that among age-, sex-, and disease-matched controls (P=0.68) but lower than that among the age- and sex-matched U.S. population (86 percent, P=0.02). Fifty patients completed SF-36 surveys at the end of follow-up, and the majority had a nearly normal quality of life, with the exception of reduced vitality., Conclusions: Long-term survival among patients who have undergone rapid defibrillation after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest is similar to that among age-, sex-, and disease-matched patients who did not have out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. The quality of life among the majority of survivors is similar to that of the general population., (Copyright 2003 Massachusetts Medical Society)

Background: The most important factor for improving out-of-hospital ventricular fibrillation survival rates is early defibrillation. This can be achieved if small, lightweight, inexpensive automatic external defibrillators are widely disseminated. Because automatic external defibrillator size and cost are directly affected by defibrillation waveform shape and because of the favorable experience with truncated biphasic waveforms in implantable cardioverter-defibrillators, we compared the efficacy of a truncated biphasic waveform with that of a standard damped sine monophasic waveform for transthoracic defibrillation., Methods and Results: The principal goal of this multicenter, prospective, randomized, blinded study was to compare the first-shock transthoracic defibrillation efficacy of a 130-J truncated biphasic waveform with that of a standard 200-J monophasic damped sine wave pulse using anterior thoracic pads in the course of implantable cardioverter-defibrillator testing. Pad-pad ECGs were also examined after transthoracic defibrillation. After the elimination of data for 24 patients who did not meet all protocol criteria, the results from 294 patients were analyzed. The 130-J truncated biphasic pulse and the 200-J damped sine wave monophasic pulse resulted in first-shock efficacy rates of 86% and 86%, respectively (P = .97). ST-segment levels measured 10 seconds after the shock in 151 patients in sinus rhythm were -0.26 +/- 1.58 and -1.86 +/- 1.93 mm for the 130- and 200-J shocks, respectively (P < .0001)., Conclusions: We found that 130-J biphasic truncated transthoracic shocks defibrillate as well as the 200-J monophasic damped sine wave shocks that are traditionally used in standard transthoracic defibrillators and result in fewer ECG abnormalities after the shock.

This multicenter study reports the outcome of ventricular tachycardia (VT) therapy (conversion or acceleration) and the relationship to initial tachycardia cycle length and other clinical variables using an implantable device with the capability of autodecremental or burst pacing, cardioversion, and defibrillation. The device was implanted in 444 patients (mean age 58 +/- 15 years) with 1,240 episodes of VT induced with noninvasive programming and reported in a multicenter database. Only the first sequence attempted for conversion by pacing or cardioversion was assessed, and cardioversion energies were 0.2-5 J. Autodecremental pacing was used to treat 700 induced episodes of VT during titration of pacing therapies (57% converted and 12% accelerated), burst pacing to treat 357 episodes (49% converted under 11% accelerated), and cardioversion to treat 183 episodes (82% converted and 4% accelerated). Cardioversion was the most effective treatment and had the lowest acceleration rate. Shorter VT cycle lengths were more likely to accelerate with burst pacing and longer VT cycle lengths to convert with both burst and autodecremental pacing. Patients with higher ejection fractions were more likely to convert with autodecremental and burst pacing. Use of cardioversion, higher ejection fraction, absence of unrepaired aneurysm, longer VT cycle lengths, coronary artery disease, and use of autodecremental pacing predicted conversion. Lower ejection fraction and VT cycle lengths < or = 300 msec predicted tachycardia acceleration.