Performance of a new single-chamber ICD algorithm: discrimination of supraventricular and ventricular tachycardia based on vector timing and correlation

AIMS: Interval- and morphology-based algorithms have been used in modern implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) to discriminate supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) from other rhythms. A newly developed ICD discrimination algorithm, Rhythm ID (Guidant Corporation, St Paul, MN, USA), uses both interval-based metrics and an electrogram vector timing and correlation (VTC) algorithm in a dual-chamber ICD. In a single-chamber ICD, Rhythm ID contains only the VTC component. This study conducted a retrospective analysis of the performance of Rhythm ID for the detection of induced and spontaneous rhythms in a single-chamber ICD. METHODS AND RESULTS: This study gathered the data from a prospective, multicentre clinical trial. Ninety-six patients were implanted with a dual-chamber ICD. For this study, each episode was analysed to determine the performance of the single-chamber ICD Rhythm ID algorithm. The mean age of the patients implanted with the device was 67+/-11 years. Seventy-eight patients were male. The primary cardiovascular disease was coronary artery disease and the primary tachyarrhythmia was monomorphic ventricular tachycardia (VT). The mean follow-up time was 11.4 months. A total of 369 induced and spontaneous ventricular arrhythmias was analysed. The algorithm detected 100% of ventricular arrhythmias. Four hundred and forty-two SVT episodes were analysed, including 145 induced and 297 spontaneous. The SVTs were atrial fibrillation (n=199), atrial flutter (n=135), and 1:1 SVT (n=108). The single-chamber ICD Rhythm ID algorithm successfully discriminated 403 SVT episodes and achieved a specificity of 91%. CONCLUSION: The single-chamber version of Rhythm ID demonstrated high specificity without compromising sensitivity.