Effectiveness of Radiofrequency Ablation of Ischemic Ventricular Tachycardia in Patients Implanted with ICD: A Pilot Study

To assess effectiveness of RF ablation, in pts. whose ICD continues to deliver multiple DC shocks due to VT. Twenty-five pts. with MI and at least 2 appropriate DC shocks or NSVT in the previous 3 months, were randomly assigned to two groups: RF ablation (n = 15); controls (n = 10). Noninducibility was achieved in 60% of pts. Table shows results 3 months after the RF. Furthermore, comparing VTs or DC shock 3 months before and after procedure, in the RF ablation group a significant reduction of SVT (1.87±0,92 vs 0.47±0.51 episodes/pt, p<0.001), NSVT (7.53±6.16 vs 2.13±2.00, p<0.001) and DC shocks (2.87±1.60 vs 0.73±1.03, p<0.001) was recorded while no significant difference was found in controls group. Our data show that RF ablation in pts. whose ICD continues to deliver multiple DC shocks due to VT is actually feasible and effective in reducing arrhythmia recurrences. Furthermore, such a procedure improves quality of life owing to the reduction of the discomfort caused by DC shocks.