Improvement of left ventricular function with surgical revascularization in patients eligible for implantable cardioverter‐defibrillator

摘要

Abstract Introduction Left ventricular ejection fraction (EF)?≤?35 is the cornerstone criterion for implantable cardioverter‐defibrillator (ICD) eligibility. Improvement in EF may occur in ICD‐eligible patients after coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG). However, the incidence, predictors, and outcomes of this process are unclear. Methods and Results We studied 427 patients with EF?≤?35 who underwent CABG in the Surgical Treatment for Ischemic Heart Failure (STICH) trial and had a systematic pre‐ and postoperative (4 months) EF assessment using the identical cardiac imaging modality. All imaging studies were interpreted at a core laboratory. Improvement in EF was defined as postoperative EF?>?35 and >5 absolute improvement from baseline. Of the 427 patients (mean age 61.8?±?9.5 and 50 women), 125 (29.2) had EF improvement. Their mean EF increased from 26.8 (±5.8) to 43.3 (±6.5) (p?