Key result
Idiopathic ventricular fibrillation accounts for 1% to 9% of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest survivors, with a 20% to 30% recurrence rate that cannot be predicted by baseline characteristics.
Idiopathic ventricular fibrillation is a rare but catastrophic condition primarily affecting young males, for which automatic defibrillator implantation remains the definitive treatment.
Idiopathic VF survivors warrant ICD evaluation given unpredictable recurrence; leaves open identification of reliable risk predictors.
Idiopathic ventricular fibrillation is defined as cardiac arrest in the absence of structural heart disease and other identifiable causes of ventricular fibrillation. It occurs in 1% to 9% of survivors of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. The mean age of these patients is 35 to 40 years, and 70% to 75% are male. The pathogenesis is unknown; psychosocial factors may play a role. Baseline clinical characteristics have not been found to identify the 20% to 30% of patients who will have recurrent cardiac arrest. At present, implantation of an automatic defibrillator is the treatment of choice. Two registries have been established to enhance our knowledge of this unusual catastrophic entity.
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Gregory M. Marcus (1997) conducted a review in Idiopathic ventricular fibrillation. Automatic defibrillator was evaluated. Idiopathic ventricular fibrillation accounts for 1% to 9% of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest survivors, with a 20% to 30% recurrence rate that cannot be predicted by baseline characteristics.