Statin therapy reduces the risk of ventricular arrhythmias, sudden cardiac death, and mortality in heart failure patients: A nationwide population-based cohort study

摘要

Sudden cardiac death (SCD) resulting from ventricular tachycardia (VT) and ventricular fibrillation (VF) is the major cause of death in heart failure (HF) patients [1], Statin decelerates the progression of atherosclerosis and reduces coronary events/mortality by lipid-lowering effect. Beyond lipid-lowering effect, one important pleiotropic effect of statin is its anti-arrhythmic property. Whether statin therapy can prevent VT/VF/ SCD in HF patients remains controversial. This study aims to determine the efficacy of statin therapy in preventing VT/VF/SCD and reducing mortality in HF patients.The National Health Insurance program has been in effect since 1995 and covered 99% of the population in Taiwan. A systemic sampling of patient data from 2000 to 2009 with 1,000,000 subjects, which was confirmed to be representative of the Taiwanese population, was used in our cohort. Our study enrolled patients who were aged >=40 years and hospitalized for HF during 2001 to 2007. Patients having a diagnostic code of VT, VF, SCD, or implantable cardioverter defibrillator implantation before enrollment were excluded. They were divided into statin-users (using statin for >=28 days) and non-users (<28 days) during the follow-up periods (from the date of enrollment to end-points occurred or the end of this study).