Long-term prognostic significance of ventricular arrhythmias in idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy.

The prognostic significance of ventricular arrhythmias in idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy is controversial. Thus, 73 patients with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy who had both 24-hour Holter monitoring and angiography were followed for greater than or equal to 3 years. Twenty-eight patients (38%) died, 14 patients (19%) due to pump failure and 14 patients (19%) due to sudden death. Univariate analysis revealed ventricular tachycardias as a major risk indicator, among others. However, multivariate analysis determined the major independent risk factors in the following order: patients who died from pump failure, left ventricular filling pressure, left bundle branch block, the number of beats in the longest episode of ventricular tachycardia and left ventricular ejection fraction; patients who died from sudden death, left bundle branch block and left ventricular ejection fraction, but not any form of ventricular arrhythmias. Reclassification by means of the risk factors resulted in a meaningful identification of patients who died from pump failure; however, patients who died from sudden death could not be separated from survivors. Thus, in the present study Holter monitoring was unable to distinguish between patients who died from subsequent pump failure and patients who died from subsequent sudden death.