Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41316690›Full record

SynthesisEuropace : European pacing, arrhythmias, and cardiac electrophysiology : journal of the working groups on cardiac pacing, arrhythmias, and cardiac cellular electrophysiology of the European Society of Cardiology2025

Catheter ablation vs. anti-arrhythmic drug therapy for ventricular tachycardia in ischaemic heart disease: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Francesco Santoro, Giacomo Mugnai, Laura Perrotta, Boldizsar Kovacs, Leon Dinshaw, Alvaro Marco Del Castillo, Christiane Jungen, Stefan Kurath-Koller, Stefan Stojković, Bert Vandenberk and 1 more

Abstract readMeta-AnalysisComparative Study
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Europace : European pacing, arrhythmias, and cardiac electrophysiology : journal of the working groups on cardiac pacing, arrhythmias, and cardiac cellular electrophysiology of the European Society of Cardiology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
7citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

7 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. Ventricular pulsed field ablation from bench to bedside: preclinical and clinical evidence from a systematic review and meta-analysis.Europace : European pacing, arrhythmias, and cardiac electrophysiology : journal of the working groups on cardiac pacing, arrhythmias, and cardiac cellular electrophysiology of the European Society of Cardiology · 2026
    Pooled it
  2. Early catheter ablation vs. antiarrhythmic drugs in treatment-naïve ischaemic ventricular tachyarrhythmias: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Europace : European pacing, arrhythmias, and cardiac electrophysiology : journal of the working groups on cardiac pacing, arrhythmias, and cardiac cellular electrophysiology of the European Society of Cardiology · 2026
    Pooled it
  3. How early should we ablate ventricular tachycardia? From rescue to prevention in ischaemic VT.Europace : European pacing, arrhythmias, and cardiac electrophysiology : journal of the working groups on cardiac pacing, arrhythmias, and cardiac cellular electrophysiology of the European Society of Cardiology · 2026
    Article
  4. Real-world characteristics and management of ventricular tachycardias in ICD patients: Data from the VIDEO registry.Clinical research in cardiology : official journal of the German Cardiac Society · 2026
    Article
  5. Comment on 'Catheter ablation vs. Anti-arrhythmic drug therapy for ventricular tachycardia in ischaemic heart disease: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials'.Europace : European pacing, arrhythmias, and cardiac electrophysiology : journal of the working groups on cardiac pacing, arrhythmias, and cardiac cellular electrophysiology of the European Society of Cardiology · 2026
    Article
  6. Catheter ablation vs. anti-arrhythmic drug therapy for ventricular tachycardia in ischaemic heart disease-Authors' reply.Europace : European pacing, arrhythmias, and cardiac electrophysiology : journal of the working groups on cardiac pacing, arrhythmias, and cardiac cellular electrophysiology of the European Society of Cardiology · 2026
    Article
  7. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors.

Francesco SantoroCardiology Unit, Department of Medical and Surgery Sciences, University of Foggia, Viale Pinto n.1, 71122 Foggia, Italy.ORCID 0000-0001-9909-6513
Giacomo MugnaiDepartment of Cardiology, Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht (CARIM), Maastricht University Medical Center +, Maastricht, The Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0003-4733-9418
Laura PerrottaDepartment of Cardiology, Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht (CARIM), Maastricht University Medical Center +, Maastricht, The Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0002-4322-1183
Boldizsar KovacsDepartment of Cardiology, Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht (CARIM), Maastricht University Medical Center +, Maastricht, The Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0002-7972-5199
Leon DinshawDepartment of Cardiology, Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht (CARIM), Maastricht University Medical Center +, Maastricht, The Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0002-1473-5716
Alvaro Marco Del CastilloDepartment of Cardiology, Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht (CARIM), Maastricht University Medical Center +, Maastricht, The Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0002-5322-2067
Christiane JungenDepartment of Cardiology, Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht (CARIM), Maastricht University Medical Center +, Maastricht, The Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0003-4062-3299
Stefan Kurath-KollerDepartment of Cardiology, Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht (CARIM), Maastricht University Medical Center +, Maastricht, The Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0003-3435-714X
Stefan StojkovićDepartment of Cardiology, Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht (CARIM), Maastricht University Medical Center +, Maastricht, The Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0002-4285-5416
Bert VandenberkDepartment of Cardiology, Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht (CARIM), Maastricht University Medical Center +, Maastricht, The Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0001-8296-920X
Kevin VernooyDepartment of Cardiology, Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht (CARIM), Maastricht University Medical Center +, Maastricht, The Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0002-8818-5964

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

aimsVentricular tachycardia (VT) in ischaemic heart disease (IHD) requires complex management strategies including catheter ablation (CA) and anti-arrhythmic drugs (AADs). The aim of this study is to compare efficacy and safety of CA vs. AADs in patients with IHD and VT. METHODS AND

resultsWe performed a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) enrolling patients with IHD and ICD randomized to CA or AADs. Primary outcome was appropriate ICD therapy. Secondary outcomes included inappropriate ICD therapy, cardiovascular (CV) re-hospitalization, all-cause/CV mortality, and adverse events. Subgroup analyses were conducted for amiodarone and sotalol, with an exploratory evaluation of a composite endpoint (ICD shock, VT storm, all-cause death). Four RCTs including 947 patients (mean age 68 ± 2 years; 93% male) were analysed. CA significantly reduced the risk of appropriate ICD therapy compared with AADs (149/470 [31.7%] vs. 229/477 [48.0%]; RR 0.81; 95% CI [0.67, 0.97]; P = 0.02). Among secondary outcomes, CA decreased the incidence of CV re-hospitalization [RR 0.84; 95% CI (0.72, 0.99); P = 0.04] and adverse events [RR 0.42; 95% CI (0.28, 0.62); P < 0.01], while no differences were observed in all-cause/CV mortality and inappropriate ICD therapy. In subgroup analyses, CA was superior to sotalol in reducing the composite endpoint of ICD shock, VT storm and all-cause death [RR: 0.82, 95% CI (0.69, 0.98), P = 0.03]; whereas, no significant benefit was seen compared to amiodarone [RR: 0.92; 95% CI (0.78, 1.09), P = 0.32].

conclusionIn ischaemic heart disease and VT, CA compared with anti-arrhythmic drugs is associated with a reduction of appropriate ICD therapy, cardiovascular re-hospitalization, and adverse events with benefits most evident versus sotalol.

Indexed as

Anti-Arrhythmia AgentsCatheter AblationMyocardial IschemiaTachycardia, VentricularAgedDefibrillators, ImplantableFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedRandomized Controlled Trials as TopicRisk FactorsSotalolTreatment OutcomeAnti-Arrhythmia AgentsSotalolAmiodaroneAnti-arrhythmic drugsCatheter ablationImplantable cardioverter-defibrillatorIschaemic cardiomyopathyRe-hospitalizationSotalolVentricular tachycardia

Identifiers

PMID41316690
PMCPMC12678166

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.