Ventricular Tachycardia and Hospital Readmission in Patients Discharged From the Hospital After an Acute Myocardial Infarction

Background

Although ventricular tachycardia (VT) occurring during hospitalization for an acute myocardial infarction (AMI) increases mortality risk, its relationship with 30-day postdischarge rehospitalization has not been examined.

Methods

Using data from the Worcester Heart Attack Study, we examined the association between early (during the first 48 hours of admission) and late (after 48 hours from admission) VT with 30-day postdischarge all-cause and cardiovascular disease (CVD)-related rehospitalization while analytically controlling for several demographic and clinical factors.

Results

The study population consisted of 3534 patients who were hospitalized with an AMI between 2005 and 2015 (average age, 67.2 years; 40.7% women); VT occurred in 452 patients (13.7%), with the majority of instances (81.2%) occurring within 48 hours of admission. The 30-day all-cause rehospitalization rate was 17.3%, with 70.9% of the hospitalizations related to CVD. The odds of rehospitalization were 1.63 times (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.99-2.69) and 1.12 times (95% CI = 0.83-1.51) higher for patients with AMI who developed late VT and early VT, respectively, compared to patients who did not develop VT. The risk of rehospitalization among patients with late VT was higher (odds ratio = 2.22 (95% CI = 0.79-6.26) in those with ST-segment-elevation AMI, compared to those with non-ST-segment-elevation AMI (odds ratio = 1.45 (95% CI = 0.81-2.57); early VT was not associated with rehospitalization in patients with either AMI subtype. No significant association was present between the occurrence of VT and CVD-related rehospitalization.

Conclusions

Patients who develop late VT may experience a higher risk of 30-day rehospitalization following hospital discharge for AMI, especially among those with ST-segment-elevation AMI. Larger studies are needed to confirm our findings.