May 1, 2021Open Access
View Full PaperElectrical storm: Prognosis and management
Key Result
Electrical storm, defined as 3 or more episodes of ventricular arrhythmia within 24 hours, is a medical emergency requiring a multimodality management approach.
Structured PICO
P
Population
Patients with electrical storm (cluster of ventricular arrhythmias)
I
Intervention
Multimodality approach including ICD management, pharmacologic therapy, catheter ablation and modulations of the autonomic nervous system
This review summarizes the definition, prognosis, and multimodality management of electrical storm, a medical emergency characterized by clustered ventricular arrhythmias.
Abstract
Electrical storm is present when a cluster of ventricular arrhythmias (VAs) occurs within a short time frame. The most widely accepted definition is 3 or more episodes of VA within a 24-h period, although prognostic risk begins to rise when 2 or more events occur within 3months. Electrical storm often presents as a medical emergency in the form of recurrent implantable cardiac defibrillator (ICD) shocks, recurrent syncope in patients with no ICD or low cardiac output symptoms. Management often requires a multimodality approach including ICD management, pharmacologic therapy, catheter ablation and modulations of the autonomic nervous system. In this article, we review the definition, prognosis and management of electrical storm.