Risk Assessment and Management of Outflow Tract Arrhythmias Refractory to Prior Treatments

AbstractPurpose of ReviewThe ventricular outflow tracts (OT) are a frequent site of origin of idiopathic premature ventricular complexes (PVC) and ventricular tachycardias (VT). Despite relatively high success rates, catheter ablation (CA) may fail to achieve long-term clinical success in some patients. In this article, we briefly review how to approach risk stratification in patients with OT PVC/VT and the methods to improve outcomes in cases that are refractory to standard ablation approaches.Recent FindingsRisk stratification should consider the potential for malignant arrhythmic events and the occurrence of arrhythmia-induced cardiomyopathy. When standard ablation fails, advanced ablation techniques can be used to treat OT arrhythmias.SummaryIndirect risk stratification methods can be used in patients with refractory OT PVC/VT. Novel ablation therapies, such as alcohol ablation, dispersive patch repositioning or bipolar ablation, can improve OT PVC/VT ablation outcomes.
Source: Current Cardiovascular Risk Reports - Category: Cardiology Source Type: research