European Journal of Cardiovascular Medicine

Objective: Electrical storm (ES) carries a high mortality rate even with current advancements in care. There are limited data about clinical characteristics, risk factors and etiologies of ES from India.  We aim to report the clinical profile and risk factors related to ES from a tertiary care hospital in southern state of India. Methods: This is a retrospective, single center observational study done in the Department of Cardiology & Electrophysiology, Sri Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences & Research (SJICSR), a tertiary care medical center in Bengaluru, Karnataka. The data collected from medical records of patients presenting with ES from year October 1, 2022-September 1, 2023. Hospital medical chart of all patients who had received ES diagnosis were reviewed for demographic data (age, gender), clinical data (comorbidities, presenting symptoms), lab (complete blood counts and inflammatory markers), Electrocardiogram (ECG), echocardiography data and treatment options (medical and / or surgical). Other parameters assessed included type of procedure patient underwent. Results: A total of 29 ES were identified with mean age of 55.4±14.6 years, predominantly male population. The most common risk factor seen in this patient sample was prior history of MI (58. 6%).Post MI scar VT was the predominant etiology found in 18(72%) patients in our study. MMVT was the predominant form seen in 24 (82.7%) patients with RBBB morphology the dominant pattern on ECG. Cardiac imaging was done in 8 (27.5%) patients. The majority of patients were on amiodarone as the anti-arrhythmic drug of choice, while propranolol and ramipril were the most common beta blockers and RAAS inhibitors prescribed in our study population. In addition to standard care, radiofrequency ablation was performed in 5 patients and cardiac sympathetic denervation (CSD) was done in 2 patients only.  Overall 17 (58.6%) patients died. When compared with patients who survived, presence of severe LV systolic dysfunction had trend towards higher mortality. Conclusion: The study population of ES of southern state of Karnataka is characterized by middle age population with hypertension, tobacco consumption and diabetes as the prominent risk factors. ES portends a high mortality in acute settings particularly in patients with severe LVSD.  There is a considerable scope of taking initiatives to improve patient outcomes in ES.