RESUMO
AbstractChagas disease (CD), with associated conduction abnormalities, is a common indication for pacemaker implantation in Latin America. The prevalence of CD in Latin American immigrants with pacemakers residing in the United States has never been studied. This single-center cross-sectional study included pacemaker patients who were aged 18 years or more with a previous residence in Latin America for at least 6 months. Patients with an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator, cardiac resynchronization therapy, or iatrogenic and/or congenital heart block were excluded. Serological testing for Trypanosoma cruzi was performed at enrollment. A total of 80 patients were enrolled, and CD was diagnosed in six patients (7.5%). Patients with CD were more likely to be from El Salvador (P = 0.001). Other clinical, therapeutic, electrocardiographic, and echocardiographic variables were similar between the CD and non-CD groups. There is a high prevalence of CD among Latin American immigrants with pacemakers in Los Angeles.
Assuntos
Anticorpos Antiprotozoários/sangue , Cardiomiopatia Chagásica/diagnóstico por imagem , Cardiomiopatia Chagásica/etnologia , Marca-Passo Artificial , Trypanosoma cruzi/isolamento & purificação , Idoso , Idoso de 80 Anos ou mais , Cardiomiopatia Chagásica/parasitologia , Cardiomiopatia Chagásica/cirurgia , Estudos Transversais , El Salvador/etnologia , Eletrocardiografia , Emigrantes e Imigrantes , Feminino , Hispânico ou Latino , Humanos , Los Angeles/epidemiologia , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Prevalência , Trypanosoma cruzi/imunologiaRESUMO
BACKGROUND: Autonomic modulation is a valuable therapeutic option for the management of ventricular arrhythmias. Bilateral cardiac sympathetic denervation (BCSD) has shown promising results in the acute, intermediate, and long-term management of polymorphic and monomorphic ventricular tachycardia (VT) in patients with structural heart disease. Cardiomyopathy (CM) due to Chagas disease (CD), and associated VT, is thought to be in part due to autonomic neuronal destruction and dysfunction. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to assess whether BCSD is a safe and effective treatment modality in patients with CD and VT storm or refractory VT. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of data from patients with chagasic CM who underwent BCSD between 2009 and 2015 at 2 international centers was performed. RESULTS: Of 75 patients who underwent BCSD for VT storm or refractory VT in the setting of CM, 7 (9.3%) patients had CD as the etiology of CM. All patients had monomorphic VT. Median follow-up was 7 months (range 1-46 months). All patients either underwent previous unsuccessful catheter ablation or were not candidates for ablation. The median number of implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) shocks 1 month before BCSD was 4 (range 2-30) and decreased to 0 (range 0-2) during available follow-up after BCSD. When antitachycardia pacing therapies were included in the analysis, the median number of ICD therapies (shocks + antitachycardia pacing) still decreased to 1 (range 0-3). CONCLUSION: In patients with chagasic CM presenting with refractory monomorphic VT, early evidence suggests that BCSD reduces appropriate ICD therapy and may represent a valuable treatment option.