Table 2.
Patient characteristics according to the recurrence of electrical storm, VT/VF or no arrhythmias recurrence
| Variable | No recurrence (34) | VT/VF recurrence (15) | ES recurrence (12) | P Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| ||||
| Male | 23 (67%) | 12 (80%) | 10 (83%) | 0.466 |
| Age (years) (median, IQR) | 61 [53–73] | 60 [50–69] | 67 [54–70] | 0.605 |
| White | 16 (47%) | 9 (60%) | 7 (58%) | 0.228 |
| African American | 18 (53%) | 6 (40%) | 3 (25%) | 0.228 |
| Other | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 2 (17%) | 0.228 |
| BMI (kg/m2) (median, IQR) | 28.2 [24–36.1] | 27.7 [24.3–31.7] | 27.4 [25.2–34.3] | 0.740 |
| Structural heart disease | 31 (91%) | 12 (80%) | 11 (92%) | 0.490 |
| Non-Ischemic cardiomyopathy | 15 (44%) | 7 (47%) | 4 (33%) | 0.574 |
| Ischemic cardiomyopathy | 16 (47%) | 5 (33%) | 7 (58%) | 0.574 |
| Hypertension | 22 (65%) | 8 (53%) | 7 (58%) | 0.742 |
| Coronary artery disease | 16 (47%) | 5 (33%) | 8 (67%) | 0.226 |
| Diabetes | 12 (35%) | 5 (33%) | 3 (25%) | 0.807 |
| Atrial fibrillation | 6 (18%) | 5 (33%) | 5 (42%) | 0.206 |
| Dyslipidemia | 22 (65%) | 6 (40%) | 9 (75%) | 0.139 |
| Sarcoidosis | 2 (6%) | 1 (7%) | 1 (8%) | 0.957 |
| VT ablation | 10 (29%) | 6 (40%) | 4 (33%) | 0.767 |
| Implantable defibrillator | 32 (94%) | 11 (73%) | 9 (75%) | 0.090 |
| Primary prevention | 16 (47%) | 6 (40%) | 5 (42%) | 0.939 |
| Secondary Prevention | 16 (47%) | 5 (33%) | 4 (33%) | 0.939 |
| Cardiac resynchronization therapy | 2 (6%) | 0 (0%) | 3 (33%) | 0.048 |
| LVEF (%) (median, IQR) | 27.5 [20–36] | 35 [15–43] | 27.5 [16–40] | 0.921 |
| Home medications | ||||
| MRA | 11 (32%) | 6 (40%) | 2 (17%) | 0.418 |
| ACEI/ARNI/ARB | 18 (53%) | 8 (53%) | 7 (58%) | 0.947 |
| Beta-blockers | 29 (85%) | 11 (73%) | 12 (100%) | 0.152 |
| Metoprolol | 25 (73%) | 8 (53%) | 11 (92%) | 0.084 |
| Sotalol | 4 (12%) | 2 (14%) | 1 (8%) | 0.918 |
| Propranolol | 0 (0%) | 1 (7%) | 0 (0%) | 0.210 |
| Amiodarone | 11 (32%) | 4 (27%) | 5 (42%) | 0.709 |
| Mexiletine | 1 (3%) | 0 (0%) | 1 (8%) | 0.475 |
| Trigger | ||||
| Idiopathic | 32 (94%) | 11 (73%) | 9 (75%) | 0.386 |
| Acute heart failure | 2 (6%) | 4 (27%) | 3 (25%) | 0.386 |
| Symptoms | ||||
| Syncope/pre-syncope | 25 (73%) | 7 (47%) | 4 (33%) | 0.028 |
| Palpitations | 15 (44%) | 8 (53%) | 4 (33%) | 0.582 |
| Cardiogenic shock | 2 (6%) | 2 (13%) | 5 (42%) | 0.011 |
| Cardiac arrest | 2 (6%) | 0 (0%) | 1 (8%) | 0.565 |
| Laboratory at admission | ||||
| Creatinine (mg/dL) (median, IQR) | 1.14 [0.87–1.49] | 1.28 [0.82–1.65] | 1.18 [1–1.58] | 0.724 |
| Potassium (mmol/L) (median, IQR) | 4.1 [3.6–4.4] | 3.9 [3.5–4.3] | 4.3 [3.8–4.9] | 0.213 |
| Sodium (mmol/L) (median, IQR) | 137 [136–139] | 139 [135–142] | 138 [134–139] | 0.650 |
| Troponin I (ng/mL) (median, IQR) | 0.05 [0.03–0.64] | 0.1 [0.03–0.33] | 0.19 [0.45–2.33] | 0.572 |
| BNP (pg/mL) (median, IQR) | 266 [100–549] | 241 [59–1089] | 930 [374–3405] | 0.062 |
| Hemoglobin (g/dL) (median, IQR) | 12.8 [11.7–14.5] | 12.3 [11–13.6] | 11.1 [10.4–13.1] | 0.253 |
| White blood cell (109/L) (median, IQR) | 8 [6.5–9.1] | 8.1 [6.4–9.1] | 8.1 [5.5–11.8] | 0.920 |
| Neutrophils Absolut count (109/L) (median, IQR) | 5.4 [3.9–7.0] | 5.4 [2.5–7.0] | 6.8 [4.3–8.3] | 0.185 |
| Lymphocyte Absolute count (109/L) (median, IQR) | 1.4 [0.9–2.4] | 1.6 [0.8–2.8] | 0.9 [0.7–1.3] | 0.200 |
| Neutrophil : Llymphocyte ratio | 4.3 [1.9–6.5] | 2.6 [1.2–8.6] | 6.8 [2.9–11.8] | 0.185 |
| Treatment in-hospital | ||||
| Device reprogramming | 8 (23%) | 4 (27%) | 4 (33%) | 0.801 |
| Amiodarone | 25 (73%) | 11 (73%) | 11 (92%) | 0.405 |
| Lidocaine | 11 (32%) | 6 (40%) | 11 (92%) | 0.002 |
| Beta-blockers | 28 (82%) | 15 (100%) | 11 (92%) | 0.189 |
| Sotalol | 3 (8%) | 4 (27%) | 1 (8%) | 0.201 |
| Nadolol | 1 (3%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 0.668 |
| Propranolol | 2 (6%) | 2 (13%) | 1 (8%) | 0.681 |
| Procainamide | 1 (3%) | 1 (7%) | 2 (17%) | 0.256 |
| Quinidine | 3 (8%) | 0 (0%) | 2 (17%) | 0.286 |
| Potassium | 20 (59%) | 7 (47%) | 5 (42%) | 0.518 |
| Magnesium | 16 (47%) | 6 (40%) | 6 (50%) | 0.856 |
| Sedation and invasive ventilation | 2 (6%) | 2 (13%) | 8 (67%) | <0.001 |
| Ventricular catheter ablation | 12 (35%) | 7 (47%) | 7 (58%) | 0.357 |
| Mechanical support | 1 (3%) | 1 (7%) | 5 (42%) | 0.001 |
| Sympathectomy (surgical or SGB) | 1 (3%) | 2 (13%) | 2 (17%) | 0.232 |
ACEI = angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor; ARB = angiotensin receptor blockers; ARNI = angiotensin receptor neprilysin inhibitor; BMI = body mass index; ES = electrical storm; IQR = interquartile range; LVEF = left ventricle ejection fraction; MRA = mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists; SGB = stellate ganglion block; VT = ventricular tachycardia; VF = ventricular fibrillation.