Ventricular Tachycardia and Hospital Readmission in Patients Discharged From the Hospital After an Acute Myocardial Infarction

BackgroundWhile ventricular tachycardia (VT) occurring during hospitalization for an acute myocardial infarction (AMI) increases mortality risk, its relationship with 30-day post-discharge rehospitalization has not been examined.MethodsUsing data from the Worcester Heart Attack Study, we examined the association between early (during the first 48 hours of admission) and late (after 48 hours of admission) VT with 30-day post-discharge all-cause and CVD-related rehospitalization while analytically controlling for several demographic and clinical factors.ResultsThe study population consisted of 3,534 patients who were hospitalized with an AMI between 2005 and 2015 (average age 67.2 years; 40.7% women); VT occurred in 452 patients (13.7%), with the majority (81.2%) occurring within 48 hours of admission. The 30-day all-cause rehospitalization rate was 17.3%, with 70.9% of the hospitalizations related to CVD. The odds of rehospitalization were 1.63 times (95%CI=0.99-2.69) and 1.12 times (95%CI=0.83-1.51) higher for patients with AMI who developed late VT and early VT, respectively, compared to patients who did not develop VT. The risk of rehospitalization among patients with late VT was higher (OR=2.22, (95%CI=0.79-6.26) in those with ST-segment-elevation compared to those with non-ST-segment-elevation AMI (OR=1.45, (95%CI=0.81-2.57); early VT was not associated with rehospitalization in patients with either AMI subtype. There was no significant association between the occurrence of VT and CVD-related rehospitalization.ConclusionPatients who develop late VT may experience a higher risk of 30-day rehospitalization following hospital discharge for AMI, especially among those with ST-segment-elevation AMI. Larger studies are needed to confirm our findings.