The issue of SCD primary prevention early after MI remains unresolved. The focus is now firmly centered on the elucidation of risk stratification tests that effectively select patients at high risk of SCD who benefit from early ICD implantation.
Zaman and Kovoor Primary Prevention of SCD Early After MI 2429A summary of major risk stratification tests currently used to identify patients at high risk of SCD is given in Table 2.
LV DysfunctionImpaired LVEF, one of the most powerful predictors of survival, 64 has been shown to identify patients who derive a mortality benefit from an ICD when implanted predominantly in the remote period after MI. 16,65 However, there are major concerns with the use of LVEF alone as a risk stratifier to guide ICD implantation. One such concern is the low specificity of LVEF for selecting patients who experience arrhythmic versus nonarrhythmic death. In the MADIT II trial, the use of LVEF ≤30% alone to stratify patients for an ICD resulted in relatively small absolute improvement in mortality with low therapeutic efficiency (15-17 defibrillators per life saved). 66 Another concern is the sensitivity of LVEF, given that a large proportion of SCDs still occur in patients with preserved LV function. VALIANT demonstrated that, although the risk of SCD is greatest in patients with severe dysfunction (LVEF ≤30%), almost half of all sudden deaths occur in patients with a higher ejection fraction (LVEF, 31%-40%). 5 The use of LVEF as a risk stratification tool has been tested in the early post-MI stage in the DINAMIT and IRIS trials, which selected patients with LVEF ≤35% and ≤40%, respectively, and failed to show a benefit of early ICD implantation. 12,17 The major limitation with the use of an early LVEF cutoff is the phenomenon of myocardial stunning with variable and unpredictable recovery of LV function after MI. This is especially relevant in the contemporary era of primary PCI for STEMI. Of STEMI patients with LVEF ≤40% at day 3, 24% will improve to have an LVEF >40% at 6 months with a mean 6% relative improvement. 67 Hence, although LV function will invariably be incorporated into risk stratification models for the prevention of SCD, it is clear that other tests are required to adequately select high-risk patients early after MI.
RV DysfunctionAlthough impaired LV function has been studied extensively as a predictor of mortality and arrhythmic death, RV dysfunction has been largely overlooked. We know from the VALIANT study that almost 50% of arrhythmic deaths occur in patients with a preserved LVEF.5 RV involvement in inferior MI has been shown to be a predictor of morbidity and mortality, with a higher rate of serious arrhythmias in patients with inferior MI and RV dysfunction. 68,69 In addition, RV dysfunction has been correlated with increased inducibility of VT at EPS. 70 Although there is no current evidence to support the role of early RV assessment to guide ICD implantation, these findings highlight the inadequacy of LVEF alone as a risk stratification tool for the prevention...