Table 1:
Demographic and clinical characteristics at the time of autonomic testing
| Healthy controls, n=8 | Before BCSD, n=13 | After BCSD, n=14 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age | 48 ± 14 | 52 ±14 | 51 ± 13 |
| Female gender | 2 (25) | 2 (15) | 1 (7) |
| Body max index | 27 ± 5 | 27 ± 5 | 28 ± 5 |
| Median days between ANS tests an BCSD | 2 (1–9) | 39 (25–115) | |
| Hypertension | 4 (31) | 4 (29) | |
| ICMP/NICMP/mixed | 1/11/1 (8/84/8) | 0/14/0 (0/100/0) | |
| Permanent AF | 1 (8) | 0 (0) | |
| Sinus rhythm (no atrial or ventricular pacing) | 8 (100) | 3 (23) | 3 (21) |
| LVEF (%) | 36 ± 14 | 40 ± 13 | |
| NYHA class I/II/III/IV | 3/8/2/0 (23/62/15/0) | 3/10/1/0 (21/71/7) | |
| ICD | 13 (100) | 14 (100) | |
| ICD in secondary prevention | 7 (54) | 9 (64) | |
| CRT-D | 6 (46) | 5 (36) | |
| Atrial lead | 10 (77) | 11 (79) | |
| LRI pacing, pulse per minute (dual chamber devices) | 71± 11 | 66± 13 | |
| Ongoing drugs | |||
| Beta blockers | 13 (100) | 13 (93) | |
| – Metoprolol | 5 (38) | 8 (57) | |
| – Carvedilol | 7 (54) | 4 (29) | |
| – Metoprolol and Carvedilol | 1 (8) | 1 (7) | |
| > 1 AAD | 3 (23) | 5 (36) | |
| Amiodarone | 7 (54) | 4 (29) | |
| Sotalol | 2 (15) | 6 (43) | |
| Mexiletine | 3 (23) | 3 (21) | |
| Dofetilide | 1 (8) | 0 (0) | |
| Propafenone | 1(11) | 0 (0) | |
| Ranolazine | 0 (0) | 1 (11) | |
| ACE-inhibitors/ARB | 10 (77) | 11 (79) | |
Values are reported as mean ± SD, n (%), or median (interquartile range). AAD= antiarrhythmic drug; AF=atrial fibrillation; BCSD= bilateral cardiac sympathetic denervation; LVEF= left ventricular ejection fraction; ICMP= ischemic cardiomyopathy; CRT-D= cardiac resynchronization therapy-defibrillation; ES= electrical storm; LRI= lower rate interval; NICMP= nonischemic cardiomyopathy.