Effect of High Influenza Activity on Risk of Ventricular Arrhythmias Requiring Therapy in Patients with Implantable Cardiac Defibrillators and Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy Defibrillators

Influenza is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular events. Influenza's association with ventricular arrhythmias (VAs) has not been adequately studied. We investigated the relation of seasonal influenza activity with the incidence of VAs requiring therapy in patients with an implantable cardiac defibrillator (ICD) or cardiac resynchronization therapy defibrillator (CRT-D). We retrospectively studied 163,831 patients with an ICD or CRT-D who were enrolled in the Abbott Medical Merlin.net remote-monitoring network between January 2009 and December 2015.
Source: The American Journal of Cardiology - Category: Cardiology Authors: Source Type: research