Outcomes following cardiac sympathetic denervation in patients with structural heart disease and refractory ventricular arrhythmia

Abstract

Abstract Aim Cardiac sympathetic denervation (CSD) has been introduced as a bailout therapy in patients with structural heart disease and refractory ventricular arrhythmias (VAs), but available data are scarce. Purpose of this study was to estimate immediate results, complications, and mid-term outcomes of CSD following recurrent VA after catheter ablation. Methods and results Adult patients who underwent CSD in the Heart Center Leipzig from March 2017 to February 2021 were retrospectively analysed. Follow-up (FU) was executed via implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) interrogation, telephone interviews, and reviewing medical records. Twenty-one patients (age 63.7 ± 14.4 years, all men, 71.4% non-ischaemic cardiomyopathy, left ventricular ejection fraction 31.6 ± 12.6%) received CSD via video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (90.5% bilateral, 9.5% left-sided only). Indication for CSD was monomorphic ventricular tachycardia in 76.2% and ventricular fibrillation in 23.8 with 71.4% of patients presenting with electrical storm before index hospitalization. Procedure-related major complications occurred in 9.5% of patients. In-hospital adverse events not related to surgery were common (28.6%) and two patients died during the index hospital stay. During FU (mean duration 9.1 ± 6.5 months), five more patients died. Of the remaining patients, 38.5 and 76.9% were free from any VA or ICD shocks, respectively. Conclusions The CSD showed additional moderate efficacy to suppress VAs, when performed as a bailout therapy after previously unsuccessful catheter ablation. At 9 months, it was associated with freedom of ICD shocks in two-thirds of patients. In a population with many comorbidities, the rate of CSD-related complications was acceptable, although there was an overall high risk of procedure unrelated adverse events and death.