The role of surgery in the treatment of post-infarction ventricular tachycardia. A 5 year experience

J Cardiovasc Surg (Torino). 1987 Jul-Aug;28(4):374-9.

Abstract

The purpose of this report is to present a 5 year experience in electrophysiologically guided surgical treatment of post-infarction ventricular tachycardia (VT) in a consecutive series of 39 patients. In every case the arrhythmia was not responsive to pluripharmacological therapy. The diagnostic steps included preoperative endocardial, intraoperative epi- and endocardial mapping, automatically carried out when possible. Surgical techniques were: classic Guiraudon's encircling endocardial ventriculotomy (EEV), partial EEV, endocardial resection (ER), cryoablation or combined procedures. The hospital mortality was of 4 patients (10%). During the follow-up period (1-68 mo), 4 patients (11%) died of cardiac non-VT related causes. Among the survivors, 90% are in sinus rhythm. The authors consider electrophysiologically guided surgery a safe and reliable method for the treatment of post-infarction VT and suggest more extensive indications. They stress the importance of automatic mapping in pleomorphic and non-sustained VT, and the necessity of tailoring the surgical technique to the characteristics of each case.

MeSH terms

  • Action Potentials
  • Aged
  • Cardiac Catheterization
  • Cardiac Surgical Procedures / methods
  • Cardiac Surgical Procedures / mortality
  • Endocardium / surgery
  • Female
  • Heart Ventricles / physiopathology
  • Hemodynamics
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Myocardial Infarction / complications
  • Tachycardia / etiology
  • Tachycardia / physiopathology
  • Tachycardia / surgery*