Arrhythmic Events in Brugada Syndrome: A Nationwide Israeli Survey of the Clinical Characteristics, Treatment; and Long-Term Follow-up (ISRABRU-VF).

BACKGROUND: Limited information exists about detailed clinical characteristics and management of the small subset of Brugada syndrome (BrS) patients who had an arrhythmic event (AE). OBJECTIVES: To conduct the first nationwide survey focused on BrS patients with documented AE. METHODS: Israeli electrophysiology units participated if they had treated BrS patients who had cardiac arrest (CA) (lethal/aborted; group 1) or experienced appropriate therapy for tachyarrhythmias after prophylactic implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) implantation (group 2). RESULTS: The cohort comprised 31 patients: 25 in group 1, 6 in group 2. Group 1: 96% male, mean CA age 38 years (range 13-84). Nine patients (36%) presented with arrhythmic storm and three had a lethal outcome; 17 (68%) had spontaneous type 1 Brugada electrocardiography (ECG). An electrophysiology study (EPS) was performed on 11 patients with inducible ventricular fibrillation (VF) in 10, which was prevented by quinidine in 9/10 patients. During follow-up (143 ± 119 months) eight patients experienced appropriate shocks, none while on quinidine. Group 2: all male, age 30-53 years; 4/6 patients had familial history of sudden death age < 50 years. Five patients had spontaneous type 1 Brugada ECG and four were asymptomatic at ICD implantation. EPS was performed in four patients with inducible VF in three. During long-term follow-up, five patients received ≥ 1 appropriate shocks, one had ATP for sustained VT (none taking quinidine). No AE recurred in patients subsequently treated with quinidine. CONCLUSIONS: CA from BrS is apparently a rare occurrence on a national scale and no AE occurred in any patient treated with quinidine.

Sex differences in implantable cardioverter-defibrillator implantation indications and outcomes: lessons from the Nationwide Israeli-ICD Registry.

AIMS: Implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) improve survival in certain high arrhythmic risk populations. However, there are sex differences regarding both the utilization and the benefit of these devices. Using a prospective national ICD registry, we aim to compare the indications for ICD implantation as well as outcomes in implanted women vs. men. METHODS AND RESULTS: All subjects implanted with an ICD or cardiac resynchronization therapy with a defibrillator (CRTD) in Israel between July 2010 and February 2013 were included. A total of 3544 subjects constructed the baseline cohort, of whom 615 (17%) were women. Women had the same age (64 years) and rate of secondary prevention indication (26%) as men. However, women were more likely than men to have significant heart failure symptoms (52 vs. 45%), QRS > 120 ms (41 vs. 36%), and a higher rate of non-ischaemic cardiomyopathy (54 vs. 21%, all P values <0.05). Using multivariate analysis, women were more likely to undergo CRTD implantation (odds ratio = 1.8, P < 0.01). Follow-up data were available for 1518 subjects with a mean follow-up of 12 months. During follow-up, there were no significant differences among genders in the rate of any single or the combined outcomes of appropriate device therapies, heart failure admissions, or death. First-year re-intervention rate was double among women (5.6 vs. 3.0%, P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: In real-world setting, women implanted with an ICD differ significantly from men in their baseline characteristics and in the use of CRTD devices. These, however, did not translate into outcome differences.