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Ann Thorac Surg 1994;58:1287-1290
© 1994 The Society of Thoracic Surgeons

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Articles

Reflections on definitive surgical treatment of postinfarction ventricular tachycardia

Carolinas Heart Institute, Carolinas Medical Center and The Sanger Clinic, Charlotte, North Carolina, USA

^_* Address reprint requests to Dr Selle, The Sanger Clinic, PA, 1001 Blythe Blvd. Suite 300, Charlotte, NC 28203.

The past 15 years have witnessed a substantial commitment to the understanding and surgical cure of postinfarclion ventricular tachycardia, and the results of treatment have steadily improved. However, outside influences have had a negative impact on the use of this modality. With the widespread availability of implantable defibrillators, this has become an attractive alternative therapy to the sometimes difficult definitive surgical treatment Meanwhile, early thromboiytic therapy for the management of evolving myocardial infarctions has been found to create a postinfarction electrical substrate that does not appear to be anhythmogenic. As a result, clinical efforts to develop and refine definitive ventricular tachycardia surgical treatments have all but ceased. The intent of this article is to review the events that took place in this apparently transient era.