Manual for the psychotherapeutic treatment of acute and post-traumatic stress disorders following multiple shocks from implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD)

Psychosocial symptoms of ventricular arrhythmias: Integrating patient-reported outcomes into clinical care

Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) are a valuable metric for assessing the quality of life and overall well-being in patients with ventricular arrhythmias (VAs) and/or implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs). The incorporation of PROMs into the workflow of a VA clinic not only allows for more patient-centered care but also may improve detection and treatment of clinically relevant anxiety or depression symptoms. Awareness of the factors known to correlate with adverse PROM scores may guide PROM administration and subsequent referral to mental health services. Further, change or stability in PROM scores can be used as a gauge to guide the effectiveness of cardiac and psychological treatment in certain populations that are the focus of this manuscript: patients with ICDs (with and without shocks), cardiac arrest survivors, and those with inherited arrhythmia syndromes.

Interventions for posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms induced by medical events: A systematic review

OBJECTIVE

Medical events such as myocardial infarction and cancer diagnosis can induce symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The optimal treatment of PTSD symptoms in this context is unknown.

METHODS

A literature search of 6 biomedical electronic databases was conducted from database inception to November 2018. Studies were eligible if they used a randomized design and evaluated the effect of treatments on medical event-induced PTSD symptoms in adults. A random effects model was used to pool data when two or more comparable studies were available.

RESULTS

Six trials met full inclusion criteria. Studies ranged in size from 21 to 81 patients, and included patients with PTSD induced by cardiac events, cancer, HIV, multiple sclerosis, and stem cell transplantation. All trials assessed psychological interventions. Two trials comparing a form of exposure-based cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) with assessment-only control found that CBT resulted in lower PTSD symptoms [Hedges's g = -0.47, (95% CI -0.82 - -0.12), p = .009]. A third trial compared imaginal exposure (another form of exposure-based CBT) with an attention control and found a trend toward reduced PTSD symptoms. Three trials compared eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) with active psychological treatments (imaginal exposure, conventional CBT, and relaxation therapy), and found that EMDR was more effective.

CONCLUSION

CBT and EMDR may be promising approaches to reducing PTSD symptoms due to medical events. However, additional trials are needed in this patient population.

105 Inappropriate ICD Shocks in a Patient with Dilated Cardiomyopathy and Broca’s Aphasia

With a growing number of ICD recipients, device complications are seen more frequently in the clinical setting and outpatient departments. Among the most severe are ICD infections and inappropriate therapies caused by oversensing of atrial tachycardias or lead fracture. We report on a 76-year-old female patient with dilative cardiomyopathy and Broca's aphasia after stroke, who experienced 105 consecutive inappropriate ICD shocks due to cluster missensing of her fractured ICD lead. The diagnosis was complicated and delayed by patient's aphasia emphasizing the need for intensified remote monitoring along with regular in-person visits, especially in people with intellectual or communication disabilities.

Epicardial ablation as a bailout in electrical storm?

Electrical storm (ES) is one of the most challenging clinical scenarios facing electrophysiologists, and in certain settings emergency ablation should be performed. The majority of ES occurs in patients with structural heart disease, predominantly coronary heart disease and nonischemic heart disease like right ventricular arrhythmogenic dysplasia and previous myocarditis as well as other cardiomyopathies. Implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) are the first-line therapy in patients with ventricular tachycardia (VT) and structural heart disease. Recurrent VT episodes or ES are major problems in patients who receive an ICD after a spontaneous sustained VT. In addition, in patients with an ICD implanted for primary prevention of sudden cardiac death, 20 % will experience at least one VT episode within 3-5 years after ICD implantation. Catheter ablation has a high success rate in the acute setting in eliminating clinical VT. However, several factors make enodocardial catheter ablation of VT more difficult especially in advanced ischemic heart disease with heart failure and aneurysm. Frequently in nonischemic cardiomyopathies (NICM) there tends to be an epicardial and intramyocardial substrate where the critical VT zone can occasionally be epicardial or intramural in location. In some patients, an epicardial approach should be warranted first together with an endocardial approach or after failure of enodocardial ablation. Currently, the success rates of endocardial ablation in the acute setting are acceptable, but in the long term they are still not well defined. The purpose of this article is to highlight the importance of epicardial ablation as an alternative approach in controlling ES and to confirm the need for highly qualified centers to manage such challenging cases.