Factors associated with recurrent postinfarction ventricular tachycardia following ablation: a meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND Ablation of ventricular tachycardia is the main therapy for patients with drug-refractory VT. Although evidence suggests that VT ablation could lower the incidence of recurrent VT, many cases still develop VT in follow-up. In this study, we performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to examine risk factors for recurrent VT in patients with postinfarction VT who underwent VT ablation. METHODS We comprehensively searched the databases of MEDLINE and EMBASE from inception to March 2020. Included studies were cohort studies, experimental trials, or randomized controlled trials that evaluate the risk of recurrent VT in postinfarction VT patients who underwent VT ablation. Data from each study were combined using random-effects. RESULTS Thirteen studies involving 1,803 postinfarction patients who underwent VT ablation were included. Inducibility after the procedure (pooled HR=1.71, p<0.001), lower baseline left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) (pooled HR=0.98, p<0.001) and higher baseline New York Heart Association (NYHA) classification (pooled HR=1.34, p=0.003) were significantly associated with VT recurrence during the follow-up. There was no significant association between age, gender or diabetes mellitus and VT recurrence. CONCLUSIONS Our meta-analysis demonstrated that inducibility after the procedure, lower baseline LVEF and higher baseline NYHA classification were associated with an increased risk of VT recurrence in postinfarction VT patients who underwent VT ablation.