Ventricular Arrhythmia Alerts and Survival in Patients with Implantable Defibrillators under Remote Monitoring

pp. 343-349

Abstract

Background: Patients with implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) or cardiac resynchronization therapy with defibrillator (CRT-D) can be followed-up with remote monitoring(RM), which allows the evaluation of complex and serious arrhythmias .
Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the prognostic value of ventricular arrhythmia alerts on mortality in patients with implantable devices
Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted in 62 patients, analyzing demographic and clinical data and RM alerts: non-sustained ventricular tachycardia (NSVT), ventricular tachycardia (VT), or ventricular fibrillation (VF)and its prognostic value for mortality .
Results: 35.5% of patients presented alerts for ventricular arrhythmias. They had worse left ventricular ejection fraction and a higher prevalence of heart failure. During follow-up, they had higher all-cause mortality (40.9% in the group with alerts vs. 7.5% in the group without alerts; p=0.003). Survival analysis confirmed that these patients had a significantly lower probability of survival (Log-Rank test, p=0.006).
Conclusion: The occurrence of alerts for ventricular arrhythmias detected by RM was a significant prognostic marker of lower survival, underscoring the value of this technology for risk stratification  and clinical decision-making. A larger patient cohort and longer follow-up are needed to confirm its independent prognostic value.