BACKGROUND: Although the determination of etiology is crucial for the management of ventricular tachycardia (VT), there have been few studies on the epidemiology and clinical characteristics of patients with ventricular tachycardia in Korea. Previous studies on Western populations have shown that ischemic VT is the most common type arrhythmia; however, the incidence of ischemic heart disease in Korea is lower than in Western culture. The purpose of this study was to determine the clinical characteristics and prognosis of Korean patients with VT. METHODS: From January 1999 to December 2002 patients who were diagnosed with VT by ECG or confirmed by electrophysiological studies were enrolled. Hospital records were reviewed for the clinical characteristics which included: demographic features, underlying disease, clinical presentation, ECG features and prognosis in 136 patients who visited our emergency room or out patient clinic. RESULTS: There were 100 men and 36 women (mean age 51.517.6). The most common presenting symptom was palpitation (56.6%), which was followed by chest pain and syncope. The most common type of VT was idiopathic VT (54.4%); ischemic VT was found in 29 cases (21.3%) and dilated or hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in 16 cases (11.8%). For all types of VT, the idiopathic VT showed the best prognosis and cardiac function (p<0.05). RFCA (Radiofrequency catheter ablation) was the best treatment option for treatment of idiopathic VT (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that idiopathic VT may be the most common type of VT in Korean patients; it usually originates form either the right ventricular outflow tract (RVOT) or the LV. The response to treatment and prognosis was poor in VT patients who had underlying heart disease; however, the prognosis was excellent for those with idiopathic VT.
Arrhythmias, Cardiac ; Cardiomyopathy, Hypertrophic ; Catheters ; Chest Pain ; Electrocardiography ; Emergency Service, Hospital ; Epidemiology ; Female ; Heart Diseases ; Hospital Records ; Humans ; Incidence ; Korea ; Male ; Myocardial Ischemia ; Prognosis* ; Syncope ; Tachycardia, Ventricular*