Surgery for Ventricular Tachycardia Unresponsive to Medical Treatment

¹ Departments of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Saint Vincent's Hospital; Los Angeles County-University of Southern California Medical Center, Los Angeles

Surgery is indicated in patients with ventrucular tachycardia refractory to medical management, provided, a correctable cardiac lesion is present. Published data, as well as our own experience, would indicate that surgery in myocardial disease associated with tachyarrhythmia may terminate the disturbances of rhythm with no further need for medication. Direct myocardial revascularization with preinfarction angina, or revascularization early in the course of myocardial infarction, or resection of an older lesion may be the procedure of choice for secondary ventrucular tachycardia unresponsive to conservative measures. The operative findings and procedures, and the immediate and late postoperative results in 11 patients operated on for intractable ventrucular tachycardia re given. Surgery was performed with the hope that improved cardiac function would terminate dysrhythmia and improve the fucntion of the myuocardium.