Noninvasive Testing for Selection of Patients for Electrophysiological Study

Background:The implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) has underscored the limitations of our methods of risk assessment. ICDs should be available to patients at high risk for arrhythmic death, but because of the potential for adverse effects and high cost it should be scrupulously avoided in patients whose lives will not be prolonged. Unfortunately, discrimination between these two groups of patients remains a challenge. Recent clinical trial results have not only shown that electrophysiological studies (EPS) in combination with other risk stratifiers identify patients with ischemic heart disease at high risk for arrhythmic death, but they have linked the efficacy of ICD therapy to the results of EPS. However, to perform EPS in all potential candidates for ICD therapy would be a time‐consuming and costly burden to medical services and would expose many patients to the risks and discomfort of an invasive procedure. Noninvasive identification of appropriate candidates is therefore essential to successful application of EPS. Methods:Nonsustained ventricular tachycardia (NSVT) and a reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (EF) was used to select patients for EPS in two important trials, but it is not certain that these are the optimal tests or that the optimal thresholds 1 episode of NSVT 3 beats; EF 0.35 or EF 0.40) were used. A number of studies have addressed the accuracy of clinical factors for predicting the results of EPS and a number of noninvasive tests have been proposed including the signal‐averaged electrocardiogram, heart rate variability, T‐wave alternans, and high spatial resolution (multilead) electrocardiography. In some contexts, combinations of factors provide significant improvements in accuracy. However, the populations studied were often highly selected, which makes comparisons between techniques or prediction of responses in the populations that would require screening difficult. Results from recently completed and ongoing clinical trials should provide important new information. A greater problem is that EPS has not been shown to consistently provide accurate discrimination of patients with nonischemic cardiac disorders. Conclusions:Effective widespread application of ICD therapy will require greater precision of patient selection. Noninvasive tests under investigation demonstrate considerable promise in selecting appropriate candidates for EPS. However, because the most precise methods of risk assessment are likely to be those most closely linked to the mechanisms of fatal arrhythmias, it is important that further development of noninvasive techniques incorporates advances in basic cardiac electrophysiology. A.N.E. 1999;4(4):434–442