PERSONAL USE ONLY Sustained ventricular arrhythmias in unstable angina patients: Results of the ARIAM Database Manuel Ruiz-Bailén 1 ABCDEFG, María Dolores Pola Gallego de Guzmán 1 AD, Luis Rucabado-Aguilar 1 AF, Manuela Expósito-Ruiz 2 ABCG, Eduardo Aguayo de Hoyos 3 AF, Ana María Castillo-Rivera 1 AD, Rosell Quirós-Barrera 1 ADF, Silvia Galindo-Rodríguez 1 AD, Juan Miguel Torres-Ruiz 4 AD, Rafael Vázquez-García 5 F, José Ángel Ramos-Cuadra 4 F, Ziad Issa-Khozouz 3 F, ARIAM Group 6 1 Department of Critical Care and Emergency, Intensive Care Unit, Hospital Universitario Médico-Quirúrgico del Complejo Hospitalario de Jaén, Spain 2 Investigation Unit, Hospital Universitario Médico-Quirúrgico del Complejo Hospitalario de Jaén, Spain 3 Department of Critical Care and Emergency, Intensive Care Unit, Hospital Universitario Virgen de las Nieves, Granada, Spain 4 Department of Critical Care and Emergency, Intensive Care Unit, Hospital Universitario San Cecilio, Granada, Spain 5 Department of Critical Care and Emergency, Intensive Care Unit, Hospital de Poniente, El Ejido, Almería, Spain 6 ARIAM PROJECT Source of support: Departmental sources Summary Background: The aim of this study was to investigate patients with unstable angina (UA) and the predictive fac- tors of these arrhythmias and to determine whether this complication behaves as an independent variable with regard to mortality, increased length of stay in an ICU/CCU, and the performance of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Material/Methods: The retrospective cohort study included all patients diagnosed with UA and included in the Spanish “ARIAM” database between June 1996 and December 2005. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to evaluate the factors associated with these arrhythmias. 17,616 patients were included. Results: Sustained ventricular tachycardia (SVT) occurred in 0.5%. The factors associated with its develop- ment were age, cardiogenic shock, and non-sustained ventricular tachycardia. SVT was associated with mortality (adjusted OR: 9.836, 95%CI: 1.81–53.33). Ventricular fibrillation (VF) occurred in 1%. In the multivariate study the variables that persistently associated independently with the de- velopment of VF were gender, Killip class, and high degree atrioventricular block (HDAVB). VF was associated with higher mortality (27.1% vs. 0.9%). Nevertheless, VF was not seen to be a vari- able independently associated with mortality in UA patients. Only VF was an independent variable in length of stay (adjusted OR: 2.059, 95%CI: 1.175-3.609). Neither SVT nor VF were independent variables associated with PCI. Conclusions: Patients with UA complicated by SVT or VF represent a special high-risk subgroup with poor prog- nosis, which could lead to their being stratified towards a poor prognosis subgroup. key words: unstable angina • mortality • mean stay • percutaneous coronary intervention • atrioventricular block • arrhythmias Full-text PDF: http://www.medscimonit.com/fulltxt.php?ICID=869676 Word count: 4400 Tables: 4 Figures: — References: 24 Author’s address: Manuel Ruiz Bailén, C/ Las Torres 57, 23650 Torredonjimeno, Jaén, Spain, e-mail: mrb1604@terra.es Authors’ Contribution: A Study Design B Data Collection C Statistical Analysis D Data Interpretation E Manuscript Preparation F Literature Search G Funds Collection Received: 2008.02.06 Accepted: 2008.06.27 Published: 2009.06.01 CR280 Clinical Research WWW. MEDS CI MONIT.COM © Med Sci Monit, 2009; 15(6): CR280-289 PMID: 19478698 Current Contents/Clinical Medicine • IF(2007)=1.607 • Index Medicus/MEDLINE • EMBASE/Excerpta Medica • Chemical Abstracts • Index Copernicus Electronic PDF security powered by ISL-science.com opy is for personal use only - distribution prohibited. This copy is for personal use only - distribution prohibited. This copy is for personal use only - distribution prohibited. This copy is for personal use only - distribution prohibited. This copy is for personal use only - distribu