Clinical Characteristics of Ventricular Tachycardia

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: There has been few study on the epidemiology and clinical characteristics of ventricular tachycardia (VT) in Korea, although their determination is crucial to the management of VT. The purpose of this study is to determine the clinical characteristics of VT. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Hospital medical records were reviewed on clinical characteristics including demographic feature, underlying disease, and clinical presentation in 66 patients who visited emergency room or out-patient clinic with VT as a primary medical problem from April 1996 to March 1999. The diagnosis of VT was made based on physical signs and ECG recording during the VT and confirmed with electrophysiology study in some cases. RESULTS: There were 42 men and 24 women (mean age 50.218.9 years). The most common presenting symptom was palpitation (n=30), which was followed by dyspnea (n=18), syncope (n=11), sudden death (n=5). Five patients had no specific symptom. Underlying disease was coronary artery disease in 18 (27.3%) patients, dilated or hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in 11 (16.7%), valvular heart disease in 7 (10.6%), myocarditis in 3 (4.5%), but absent in 20 (30.3%). Idiopathic VT (n=16) usually originated from either right ventricular outflow tract (RVOT, 56.3%) or left ventricular septum (LVS, 31.3%). One-year cardiac mortality rate was 43.8% in coronary artery disease (n=16), 20.0% in cardiomyopathy (n=10), 33.3% in valvular heart disease (n=6), but zero in idiopathic VT (n=19). CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that idiopathic VT may be the most common type of VT in Korea and usually originates from either RVOT or LVS. The response to medical therapy is poor in VT with underlying heart disease but excellent in idiopathic VT.