Usefulness of echocardiographic left ventricular hypertrophy, ventricular tachycardia and complex ventricular arrhythmias in predicting ventricular fibrillation or sudden cardiac death in elderly patients

Echocardiographic left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy is associated with an increased incidence of new coronary events.^1-3 Ventricular tachycardia (VT) and complex ventricular arrhythmias associated with heart disease are independent risk factors for new cardiac events in elderly patients.⁴ We reported in a prospective study that VT was present in 30 of 196 elderly patients (15%) with echocardiographic LV hypertrophy and in 23 of 358 patients (6%) without LV hypertrophy (p <0.001).⁵ Complex ventricular arrhythmias occurred in 147 of 196 patients (75%) with LV hypertrophy and in 157 of 358 patients (44%) without LV hypertrophy (p <0.001).⁵ We are now reporting 27-month follow-up data correlating LV hypertrophy, VT and complex ventricular arrhythmias with development of primary ventricular fibrillation (VF) or sudden cardiac death in these 554 unselected patients older than 62 years in a long-term health care facility.