Presumed arrhythmic death in consecutive survivors of acute myocardial infarction – implications for primary implantable cardioverter defibrillator implantation

AIM: To describe the occurrence of arrhythmic death among survivors of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and the availability of a primary implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD). METHODS: Consecutive patients who fulfilled the criteria for AMI admitted to the Sahlgrenska University Hospital during 21 months were prospectively followed for 2 years with a focus on echocardiography and mode of death. RESULTS: Among the 471 patients, for whom information on ejection fraction (EF) was available and who survived the first week, 10 patients died between days 7 and 30 - of whom one had an arrhythmic death. Among the 461 survivors on day 30, 34 patients (7.4%) had an EF of 30% or less. Among these, 24 were judged to be available for ICD implantation, of whom one died an arrhythmic death during follow-up. Among the remaining 10 patients who were excluded from ICD indication because of either high age and/or severe comorbidity, two patients died an arrhythmic death. Among the remaining 427 patients who had an EF greater than 30%, six died an arrhythmic death. Thus, 10 patients, with EF assessed, died an arrhythmic death between day 7 and 2 years after AMI, but only one would have received an ICD according to the Multicenter Automatic Defibrillator Implantation Trial II criteria and clinical judgement. CONCLUSION: Of the 471 consecutive survivors of AMI, 10 (2%) died an arrhythmic death, of whom only one would have received an ICD according to current guidelines and clinical judgement. Predictors of subsequent arrhythmic death after an AMI, useful on a per patient basis, remain an unmet need.