Clinical Characteristics of Ventricular Tachycardia

Background and Objectives:There have been few studies on the epidemiology and clinical characteristics of ventricular tachycardia (VT) in Korea, although their determination data is crucial in the management of VT. The purpose of this study was to determine the clinical characteristics of VT. Materials and Methods: Hospital medical records were reviewed as to clinical characteristics which included demographic features, underlying diseases, and clinical presentation in 66 patients who visited the emergency room or the out-patient clinic and had VT as the primary medical problem between April 1996 and March 1999. The diagnosis of VT was based upon physical signs and ECG recordings during the VT and confirmed by electrophysiological studies in some cases. Results:There were 42 men and 24 women (mean age:50.2±18.9 years). The most common presenting symptom was palpitation (n=30), which was followed by dyspnea (n=18), syncope (n =11), and sudden death (n=5). Five patients had no specific symptom. The 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 none was evident in 20 (30.3%). Idiopathic VT (n=16) usually originates from either the right ventricular outflow tract (RVOT, 56.3%) or the left ventricular septum (LVS, 31.3%). The one-year cardiac mortality rate was 43.8% for 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 the RVOT or the LVS. The response to medical therapy is poor in VT patients who have an underlying heart disease but excellent in those who have idiopathic VT. (Korean Circulation J 2001;31 (9):894-899)